


The Queen of Air and Fire

by MiladyDragon



Series: Wizard and Deathless [3]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragons, F/M, M/M, Magic, Magical Disasters, Minor Character Death, Natural Disasters, Temporary Character Death, Violence, Wizard and Deathless
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-20
Updated: 2014-05-12
Packaged: 2017-11-12 13:45:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 32,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/491718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiladyDragon/pseuds/MiladyDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack, Ianto, and their team must unravel a mysterious prophecy that speaks of death and destruction for the Kingdom...and of a Realm long lost in the mists of time and magic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the next story in the Wizard and Deathless universe. It takes place three years after Ways of Light and Darkness, and it's necessary to read that one before you read this. Also, I'm borrowing characters and situations from the X-Men films (especially X-Men First Class) but it's not necessary to know that franchise to read this. 
> 
> Also, this was beta'd by the wonderflul cjharknessgirl, over on LJ and DW

 

**Chapter** **One**

 

 

“Stop brooding.”

Daffyd Ianto Jones, Baron Gateway and Grand Wizard of the United Kingdom, turned to regard the shade of his late lover.  “I’m not brooding,” he denied.

“Yes, you are,” Jack, the former Lord Deathless, stood in the corner of the room, glowering at Daffyd.  “Even Donna saw it. She only leaves one of her Ood cloud with you when she doesn’t want you to be on your own.”

Daffyd glanced at his desk, where the tiny green dragon lay curled up on the blotter.  It noticed him looking, and its head rose from its crossed front paws, chirping curiously. 

Maybe Jack had a point.

“I may be technically dead,” Jack went on, “but even I know what the date is.”

Of course he did.  “All right,” he conceded, “I may be brooding…a little.”

 

“A lot.”                                    




Daffyd sat down in his chair.  “A lot.”

He hadn’t really had time to dwell the last several years, what with everything that had been going on: building the school; recruiting administrators, teachers, and support people; and then actually finding students to teach.  Gateway had grown up around the newly minted Wizards’ School, and Daffyd had found himself even busier with both being Headmaster and Baron.  He hadn’t had a chance to even think about this particular anniversary.

But today, he did.

Jack looked as upset as Daffyd felt.  “I know, love,” he whispered. 

The tiny Ood dragon must have sensed his upset.  It roused, shaking out its wings and hopping onto Daffyd’s shoulder, rubbing against his face in an effort to comfort him. He stroked the dragon absently, remembering when he’d had his own dragon.

Remembering when he’d had a life that wasn’t this one.

“You know,” he said, looking up at the shade, “it’s not even that I don’t enjoy my life here.  It’s just…I see what everyone else has, and it makes me realize just how much I’m missing.”  He chuckled darkly.  “I do hate being maudlin.”

He couldn’t help it, though.  It was even worse when they would find someone who’d been in Daffyd’s home timeline – the one that had been destroyed when he’d stopped the insane Wizard, Harold Saxon, from changing things so that Daffyd would have never been born.  He would see someone whom he’d known, and they wouldn’t know him…Donna was the worst, in a way.  Here, she was a middling Wizard who preferred being an administrator and who’d decided that she’d needed to look after Daffyd.  He’d known her as the most powerful Great Wizard and Grand Master of her Order.   She’d also been one of his best friends.

It was jarring.

And then there was Jack…

He and Jack had planned their lives together before things had fallen apart.  They’d even found a spell that would, one day, allow one of them to carry a child.  But Jack had…well, not died per se, but had had his soul drawn into this world by the Deep Ways in order to save him from being trapped within the Silver Devastation. 

Even Daffyd’s dragon had been a victim.

However, the worst part of everything was the fact that, out in the world, was his doppelganger, Ianto Jones, and he had everything that Daffyd once had had.  It had gotten easier to deal with as he’d become used to seeing someone with his face, his lover, and his dragon, but it was still hard, and it was one of the reasons Ianto stayed away from Gateway.  He didn’t want to hurt his displaced ‘cousin’ anymore than he already had.  It wasn’t even as if he held it against Ianto, either.  They’d actually become good friends, along with this version of Jack, and had come to rely on them heavily.  Now, though, he had time to actually think about it, and it was bringing up feelings he’d thought he’d gotten well over.




“I think you have a perfect right to be maudlin,” Jack answered.  “But you also have a lot to be proud of.”

“I’ve done pretty well for someone who’d expected to be wiped out of existence once time had been set right.”

“Exactly!”

Daffyd snorted. 

“Not everyone gets to build up an entire school and train the newest magical minds,” Jack went on.  “You get to mould the up and coming generation into something to be proud of.  And, you’ve gained friends and allies that you might never have had.”

“Quit trying to cheer me up, Jack.”  He tried to hide a small smile.  Even though they were separated by death, Jack could still make him feel better.

Jack’s answer was cut off by a sudden knocking at Daffyd’s office door.  Without waiting for him to call out, Donna bustled in, surrounded by a veritable cloud of Ood.  Daffyd was about to tease her about coming in unannounced, but the expression on her face stopped him.

“Master John says it’s Idris,” was all she said before Daffyd was scooting past her and out of the door.

 

**********

 

No one really knew who Idris was. 

She’d simply appeared in Gateway nearly three months ago, walking into the city with nothing but the clothes on her back – she hadn’t even been wearing any shoes – and talking the strangest nonsense…until Master John had realized she was vaguely speaking about random future events.  He’d found out the hard way, because ‘you look horrible in red’ apparently meant that his students were going to dump a bucket of red paint all over him as a joke.

Idris had made herself at home in the highest tower of the school, even though it was drafty and not at all comfortable.  She seemed to enjoy it, and Daffyd suspected it was more the height than anything else.  She was fearless, and it had freaked out Master John the first time he’d gone up to see her and found her sitting on the open parapet, her legs dangling over the edge and into open space.   Master John also looked as if he was quite taken by her, and it would have been cute if only Daffyd didn’t find it slightly creepy.  He wasn’t exactly certain why he felt that way, although he suspected it was because the older Wizard was his many times great-grandfather, and the very idea that he might be interested in someone else was just too off-putting to handle.




Daffyd climbed the stairs up to the tower, and was seriously out of breath by the time he reached the room where Idris had made her home.  Blaming the time he had to stay behind a desk as the reason he was out of shape, he pushed the single door at the top of the tower open, and stepped inside.

Idris’ room was the entire top of the tower, and had been fitted out with a bed, several comfortable-looking chairs, and a wardrobe and chest of drawers.   It was still a drafty chamber, the wind whistling around the circular tower like several moaning spectres were just outside the windows. 

Idris looked small in the chair she was sitting in.  She looked up as Daffyd entered, and a smile curled her lips and then faded so quickly it was as if the sun had gone in behind a cloud.  Her hands twitched in her lap, and Master John Smith – who was kneeling beside her chair – rested his own hand over them, in order to keep them from fluttering away.  Her hair was in even more disarray than usual, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

The single tiny Ood dragon that had accompanied him left Daffyd’s shoulder to curl itself around Idris’ neck, and Daffyd could hear it cooing to her in comfort.  That was something else about the woman: any and all dragons adored her.  She didn’t have one of her own, but it was as if the entire dragon population of Gateway had somehow adopted her, judging from how each acted when she was near.  Idris adored them equally, happy to greet each one and to lavish attention on them.  While most dragons seemed to be a bit standoffish – with the exception of Myfanwy, who Ianto swore was an attention whore – around Idris, it was as if she was their very best friend.

Absently Idris reached up and stroked the green hive dragon with a single finger, as Daffyd knelt on the opposite side from Master John.  “What’s going on?”

Idris looked uncertain, but John squeezed the one hand that wasn’t petting the dragon at her throat.  “Just do what you can,” he encouraged.  Then he turned to look at Daffyd.  “She’s not making a lot of sense, but what she’s seen seems important.  It’s really upset her.”

That was par for the course with Idris.  She was obviously able to see the future, but she was often vague about it.  “Tell me what’s going to happen,” he requested. 

Idris tried to smile once more, failed, and then sighed.  “They are coming,” she whispered, her voice cracking roughly.  “You should trust the One who brings Silver, but not...not the Crowned One.  Never trust the Crowned One; he has the White Witch…”  She shook her head almost violently, as if to break loose the visions she’d seen.  “There is water…too much water, people are going to die!”  Those words practically ran together, and John murmured to her comfortingly. 

“Take your time,” Daffyd said, although he wanted nothing more than to demand some sort of sense of what Idris was trying to say.  He’d seen such things back in his own timeline; where a Seer had a vision that was jumbled or impossible to interpret, and he knew he had to have patience while Idris put it into context. 

The problem was that Idris didn’t make much sense on the best of days.  It was as if her mind was on an entirely different plane from everyone else’s, and that normal things were very hard for her to grasp.  He’d wondered if something had happened at some point to addle her wits, and it was colouring her ability to communicate, or if having the power to see the future had broken her in some fundamental way.

Her eyes unfocused as she began speaking once more.  “The Lost Kingdom shall return.  It shall rise again, but death will come before it like the tide.  The King shall search for the Wizard, and the White Witch will come with the Crowned One, and destruction rides in his right hand.”  She seemed to come back to the present.  “The images…I can’t…they are coming, coming for the Queen.”

“Queen Amelia?” Daffyd asked, worried.  Their Majesties had given him his second chance at life, and while he might have been depressed lately, it was still a good life.  He also really liked Queen Amelia and King Rory, and he’d been disappointed that their daughter hadn’t proved to be magical in any way, because he couldn’t have thought of a better way to repay them than being able to teach their only child to be a Wizard. 

But Idris shook her head.  “Not the Queen…the _Queen_.”

There was an emphasis on the title this time, but Daffyd didn’t understand what it meant.  He would send a warning to the Royal Court anyway, just to be on the safe side.

“What about the other things you saw?”  Daffyd pressed.  “Can you give us any more information?”

“I might be able to,” John answered slowly.  “I don’t know, though.”

“What is it?”

The older Wizard looked pensive.  “She mentioned the Lost Kingdom…I think I might know what that is.  Well, if it’s the same as the old stories I’ve heard, but it was a legend back in my own time…”

It was too easy to forget that Master John Smith actually came from over a thousand years in the past, and that he was almost as out of his own time as Daffyd himself was.  There were even times when Daffyd was completely able to forget that the Great Wizard was his very distant ancestor.  So, if what he’d heard was a legend back then…”I’m not familiar with a legend about a Lost Kingdom.”

“I don’t know what it was actually named, but you might have heard it called the Kingdom of Magic.”

_The Kingdom of Magic._ Yes, Daffyd had once come across a story about it, in the Archives he’d spent a large part of his life in, back before time had been altered and he’d found himself somewhere he didn’t know.  “Vaguely,” he admitted.  “Wasn’t that supposed to be the mythical home of the dragons?”

Idris’ eyes had gone wide, and she clutched at his sleeve.  “The tallest mountain!” she exclaimed.  “Hatched on the tallest mountain!”

“It was,” John confirmed.   “Supposedly every dragon ever hatched came from the Kingdom of Magic.  Not sure how that worked, but that’s what the stories said.  According to legend, the Kingdom is gone, lost in the mists of magic.  Depending on what story was told, it was either by choice, or by accident.  Either way, the place vanished.  I’m not even certain where it was supposed to have been.”




“It’s coming back,” Idris insisted.  “Its coming brings destruction in the water.”

Daffyd couldn’t help but be confused by what Idris was telling them.  “Do you know anything else about this Magical Kingdom?”

Her eyes were wide, and her mouth opened as if she wanted to speak…but nothing came out, and he wondered if the words were so jumbled together that she couldn’t get them out.  Instead, a bare squeak came from Idris’ throat, and she looked wilder than Daffyd could ever remember seeing her.

“Just relax,” John soothed her.  “When you know more, you can tell us.”

“In the meantime,” Daffyd, said, standing, “I’m going to get a message to Their Majesties.  We also need more information on this Kingdom of Magic, and what exactly it is.”  Not for the first time, Daffyd was angry that the entirety of the Torchwood Castle Archives hadn’t been transferred to Gateway.  His Majesty had ordered it, but Baroness Gwen had balked, not wanting to lose whatever prestige she still had after losing ‘her’ Wizard.  They’d come to a compromise: every magical Artifact would go to Gateway, while the actual information part of the Archives would stay in Cardiff.  Daffyd hadn’t liked it, but he could understand why King Rory would want to be conciliatory toward the Baroness, not wanting to alienate one of his most powerful nobles. 

However, when they actually needed something from the Archives, it meant either asking the current Master Archivist, Brendan Richards, to look for what they needed, or sending someone to Cardiff.  It wasn’t that Daffyd didn’t trust Brendan – the boy had been trained by Ianto, after all – it was just the principle of the thing.  The whole of the Archives should have been brought to Gateway. 

“I’ll send a message to Brendan as well,” he sighed. 

“Haven’t you forgotten?” John said, also getting to his feet. “Ianto is in Cardiff…or he should be, unless he was delayed getting there.”

Now, they just had to hope that there would be some sort of information on this Kingdom, because even if Idris was being vague, it certainly sounded as if whatever was going to happen was going to be bad indeed.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

**Chapter Two**

 

Master Ianto Jones, Cardinal Wizard and Wizard-at-Large for the United Kingdom, made his way through the market crowds along Cardiff’s main road, the smells of baking and the bright colours of the wares tickling his senses, along with the press of people as they shopped for bargains and curiosities from all over the Kingdom, and beyond. 

Cardiff was his home.  He’d been born there, had family there, had gotten his education at one of the better schools there, and had been Tested for magic there.  He’d been one of the rare ones, a Catalyst, with the ability to know what a magical Artefact was and to actually be able to use it, and he’d been trained in the Torchwood Castle Archives, becoming the youngest Master Archivist ever. 

He’d first met his lover, Captain Jack Harkness, there.

He’d also nearly been exiled from there.  It wasn’t something he enjoyed dwelling on.

But Ianto had gone on to become something much more than Archivist and Catalyst: he’d become one of the first of the new generations of Wizards, and it was generally considered that he was the most powerful Wizard of the age.

Ianto would beg to differ on that.

His dragon-familiar, Myfanwy, chattered excitedly, _happinessjoylove_ echoing from her and into his mind, and Ianto couldn’t help but smile from it.  She thoroughly enjoyed being around other people, and had a way of charming strangers without even trying, especially children.  It was directly opposite her Wizard who, up until everything had happened in his life, had been content to stay in the background, letting others get all the attention.  That had changed, and now he was expected to be out and about, being seen as the very public face for Wizards throughout the Kingdom.

It still bothered him a little, but he was getting used to it.

The crowds in the market parted for him easily, recognizing him and Myfanwy as they walked, his dragon at his side like a winged dog of some sort.  She was more comfortable in the air, but Ianto knew she enjoyed being beside him even more than flying.  Besides, it meant more people could pet her, which was a win-win situation as far as the dragon was concerned.

He caught sight of his destination by the sheer size that had it standing out amid the other, smaller shops around it. 

Master Mickey Smith’s shop took up a third of the entire open-fronted area; the other two-thirds was the forge itself, where Ianto saw the man himself, watching an apprentice as the boy pounded on a glowing lump of metal held in a pair of black tongs, the sound of the hammer against the molten steel slightly muffled compared to the strike against the anvil that the hammer made on the short, second down stroke.  The apprentice’s arm rose in a steady rhythm, and Mickey was saying something which had the younger man nodding.

Ianto leaned against the plain railing and watched.  The working of metal fascinated him; seeing a well-balanced sword or a delicate piece of jewellery forming from a blob of heated metal was almost more magic to him than his own powers.  And Mickey was the best, according to Jack, and Ianto didn’t doubt it one bit.  The sword Ianto carried out in the field had been forged by one of Master Mickey’s own students, and the Wizard had never had a day of worry about it not being up to whatever he had to use it for.  Not that Ianto was going to admit cutting small branches for firewood with it…

Another apprentice seemed to be bending small pieces of steel into half-finished rings, and Ianto wondered if they would end up woven together for chainmail.  Jack’s armour had been forged especially for him by Master Mickey, including the fine chainmail undershirt under the supple plate that kept Jack from dying too many times.  Yes, it might be general knowledge now that Jack was the Deathless, but that didn’t mean Ianto would let him walk into danger without sufficient protection.

It was only a few minutes later that Mickey caught sight of him, and the master smith gave the Wizard a bright smile.  “Master Ianto,” he greeted.  “Where’s your partner in crime?”

“Master Mickey,” Ianto answered, returning the smile.  “Jack is on his way.  He had business in Haven.”  That was where Ianto himself had come from, leaving Jack to finish up on the job that the mercenary captain had taken on, on behalf of Baron Daffyd.  “I understand you might have something I’d be interested in?”

The message had been waiting for him when he’d arrived at his sister’s house yesterday.  Mickey had an uncanny ability to tell if something he happened to come across was magical or not.  In fact, Ianto had threatened to Test him for ability after the second time the master smith had shown up with an interesting Artefact that he’d come across, either from one of his clients or vendors, or that he’d simply seen in the marketplace.  After that, he’d given Mickey Rhiannon’s address and had asked him to let her know if he thought he’d found anything, and Rhiannon would always pass along the message.

Mickey spoke to his apprentice once more.  The boy nodded, and Master Mickey left him to his own devices, coming to meet Ianto at the rail.  “I should have expected you,” the man said, mopping his face with a rag that had been hanging around his neck.  “What with the wedding and all.”

Ianto grimaced.  “Well, at least I know Lady Lisa won’t start pursuing me again.”

And now, she’d found someone else to put up with her, and Ianto had been completely shocked when he’d gotten the wedding invitation. 

Mickey laughed, ducking under the rail and heading toward the back of the shop.  He ushered Ianto through the hanging tapestries that curtained off the main area of the shop with the rear.  “Remind your dragon that if she breaks it, you buy it.”

Ianto put Myfanwy in front of him, just in case.  He remembered the first time he’d brought her into the shop.  She’d been distracted by the pretty shiny objects and had knocked over a display case.  Luckily, the Royal Purse had covered the damage.

They made their way between shelves and crates and cases, toward the very back of the combined shop/forge, where Ianto knew Mickey had his office.  The room was beyond the storage space, and it was locked, since it was where all of the most valuable items were kept.  Mickey unbolted the door and motioned both Wizard and dragon inside.




It was still as cluttered as Ianto remembered.  Various pieces of unfinished metalwork were scattered all over the desk and the two tables, and a stack of what looked like invoices had been piled into the visitor’s chair.  There were cabinets and shelves on three of the four walls, all equally as cluttered as the desk.  The only exception was a display of metalworking tools, well-cared for, hanging in pride of place behind the desk. 

Mickey shifted the pile of papers from the chair and onto the desk, letting Ianto sit, Myfanwy curling up at his feet.  “One of my suppliers found something I thought you might be able to help with,” he began, moving behind the desk.  He didn’t sit.  Instead, he leaned over and, judging from the rattle of keys, unlocked something Ianto couldn’t see.  He knew what it was, since he was aware that Mickey kept his safe within one side of the large piece of furniture.  In fact, Mickey had paid him handsomely for certain spells Ianto had cast over it, despite Ianto insisting on doing the work for free.

He brought out a box, which he sat on the desk, dislodging several items in the process.  “He claimed to have found it in the remains of a shipwreck on a small island off the coast of the Esplanade Expanse.  I won’t go into just what the island is used for –“

 _Smuggling,_ Ianto’s mind supplied.

“– but he managed to claim quite a bit of salvage.  This, though…he wasn’t at all sure about, and he brought it to me as soon as he made port here.” 

Ianto found himself leaning forward a bit, in order to see what was in the wooden box that Mickey was opening.  The master smith carefully lifted something from it, and Ianto could make out something silver wrapped in a blue piece of fabric.

Setting the bundle on the desk, Mickey carefully pulled the fabric away, revealing what looked like a small, handheld crossbow, only made completely of some sort of silvery metal.  The detailing of the metal was exquisite and it looked very much like some sort of statuary.  The only detail missing was the bowstring.

Ianto reached across the desk, his hand barely touching the cold metal of the crossbow…

And he would have screamed, if his breath hadn’t been stolen from his lungs.

It felt as if every bit of magic within him had been sucked out of him.  It burned…oh, it burned, the scorching of the magic as it was forcibly stolen from his body.  The Deep Ways cried out where Ianto could not, and his eyes were blinded by the incredible golden glow of his greatest power rising to protect him. 

Ianto’s body instinctively jerked away from the source of his agony, and he fell to the floor, shaking uncontrollably.  He could feel Myfanwy’s terror, could hear Mickey calling his name, and strong yet surprisingly gentle hands on his shoulders, holding him steady.  Once his fingers were away from the strange crossbow, he could feel his magic returning, and he shuddered in horror at the sensation of being so empty…

The Wizard whooped in a great breath of air, his vision focusing on the terrified Myfanwy, who was practically sitting on his stomach, her green eyes glittering as she sent him her fear and worry and a question that Ianto knew was to ask him if he was all right. 

“I’m…okay,” he managed to get out, taking in another breath. 

“What the hells was that?” Mickey demanded, helping him sit up. 

“It…”  Ianto wasn’t sure how to describe it.  “Could you put that…thing, back in its box?”

“Sure.”  Mickey stood and did as Ianto asked, as the Wizard rose unsteadily to his feet, dislodging Myfanwy from her perch on him.  She made an upset noise, but moved, standing close enough so that Ianto could have used her as a crutch if he wanted.  He sat instead, and her head rested on his knee, her concern for him fading.  He petted her gently, glad for her support. 

After Mickey had replaced the Artefact in its box and had locked it, Ianto finally spoke.  “Can you make sure that gets to Gateway?” he asked.  “I would take it back, but…”

“Yeah, don’t blame you there,” Mickey said.  “What happened?”

“It was…I don’t know. “  Ianto chewed his lip thoughtfully.  “If I had to describe it, I would say it was…anti-magic.”

“Could there be such a thing?”  Mickey looked intrigued.

“I don’t see why not,” Ianto shrugged.  “Maybe Daffyd would know more.”  He sighed.  “Let me write a letter, to warn him not to open it without some sort of shielding…if that would even work on something that can totally disrupt magic.  That’s what knocked me down…it was as if suddenly every bit of magic I had was gone.  My body couldn’t handle the shock.” 

The sensation of it was a surprise to him.  Of course, Ianto could feel the Deep Ways humming just under his skin.  It was a vital part of him, one that would destroy him if it was ever completely gone.  It made him think of Daffyd, and of how his counterpart had torn away the connection he’d had with the Deep Ways out of mourning for his lost lover. It was the same connection Ianto himself had, and he wondered just how Daffyd had survived it. 

Ianto didn’t think he’d be able to, although if he’d lost Jack in some way then he wouldn’t have done any different.  Eternity wasn’t worth being alone for.

Having that happen also made Ianto realize just how integral a part of him magic was.  He’d had dream/memories of his grandmother, and of things that she’d taught him that he’d forgotten; she’d known about his magic, of that he was certain.  But Ianto hadn’t thought of it himself, beyond his Catalyst ability.   To be faced with what it felt like to be magicless even for the heartbeat it had taken for his hand to slip away from the Artefact…it was horrible.  It brought home to him that he’d never truly been without magic his entire life.




“But who would use such a thing?” Mickey wondered.

“A normal human being,” Ianto answered.  “You didn’t have any problems touching it, did you?”

“Nah, no problem at all.  But who could’ve made such a thing?  Why would someone even want to?”

“Someone with something against Wizards, I expect.”

It was a chilling thing, but it was the only notion that fit the purpose of that weapon.  And it frightened Ianto, that someone hated a Wizard so much as to take away their power...which was far worse than killing them.

 

**********

 

Ianto left Mickey’s shop as soon as he could get away, still unsettled by what had happened.  Myfanwy stayed close, still worried about her Wizard, and he really appreciated her nearness.  The very idea that someone would create something that would take away a Wizard’s power – Mickey had told him that a crossbow that small wouldn’t necessarily be deadly, not having the power of a normal-sized weapon, but Ianto could imagine very well what a bolt from that thing would do to a Wizard.  They’d discussed it, and Ianto had to concede that there would have been special bolts for it, most likely made of the same metal, and of course the lack of a string made it unusable.  Still, any Wizard getting hit with that, having one of those bolts buried within their bodies…Ianto couldn’t help but shiver.

He shook himself.  He couldn’t allow himself to think about it.  The weapon was no longer dangerous, Mickey having arranged to have it sent on to Gateway with the next shipment of metalwork he was having taken up to the city.  It was locked away now and could do no more harm.

 _Of course_ , a small voice said at the back of his mind, _that_ _didn’t mean there aren’t any more out there…_

He had one more chore to do that day, before he could go back to Rhiannon’s.  And, truth be told, Ianto was looking forward to it. 

Torchwood Castle rose up from the shorter structures of Cardiff-Town, its pale stones glittering in the early afternoon sunlight.  Ianto had been an apprentice there, had become the youngest Master Archivist in the Barony’s history, and had spent some of the best days simply studying and working with the documents and Artefacts in the Archives under the Castle.  Torchwood Castle had long been the home of the greatest Archives in the United Kingdom, its centuries-old charter putting it in the forefront of hunting down magical Artefacts and protecting innocents from being hurt. 

That had changed, since the Wizard School and Gateway had become the centre of magical learning in the Kingdom.  The Secure Archives had been cleaned out and transported to their new home per royal decree, leaving only the written records that Ianto had once been in charge of.

Ianto knew the castle like the back of his hand, and so he found his way around the back, and entered through the kitchens.  He might have thought to escape detection by anyone else in the castle – he would be seen soon enough at the wedding – but Mistress Heather, the Head of the Kitchens, knew everything that went on in her bailiwick, and she curtseyed then hugged him, proclaiming him too skinny and pressing a warm meat pie into his hand.  Myfanwy got one as well, after giving the older woman such sad eyes that Mistress Heather had been completely taken in by it.

The entrance to the Archives was in a hallway off the kitchens, and Ianto felt a rush of nostalgia as he took the stone steps downward into the bowels of the Castle.  He was there at Daffyd’s request.  There had been a message waiting for him that morning when he’d risen, asking him to go to the Archives to check for information on something that the seer, Idris, had had visions of.

He’d only met Idris once, but she’d struck him as being one of those people who had physicality in the world, but her mind was on a plane beyond anyone else’s.  He’d remembered hoping that she didn’t become lost wherever it was her thoughts travelled, and that she’d always be able to find her way home again. 

The moment he set foot into the Archives, his scent memory catalogued the must, leather, and paper that went with such a place, and it evinced such a longing for the place that Ianto was almost knocked backward a step.  He hadn’t come for the Artefact removal, not wanting to be there to rub what was happening in the Baroness’ face.  Yes, she’d tried to tie him to Cardiff once and she’d done it for selfish reasons, but the Cooper family had been the ones to build up the Archives over the centuries, and seeing Ianto would have just been another sign of what she was losing.  Despite everything, he didn’t wish her ill.

The shelves that made neat rows down the centre of the room were more familiar to him than his quarters at the Wizard School, not that he spent a lot of time there.  At first it had been because of Jack; being in Gateway was an uncomfortable reminder of his Deathlessness.  But then, he’d noticed that Daffyd wasn’t exactly at ease when Ianto was around.  Not that he could blame the other man at all.  Ianto was a reminder to Daffyd of what he had lost, including his very name.  It was the least he could do was to attempt to stay away as much as he could.

Brendan Richards had certainly matured in the three years since Ianto had run the Archive.  The young man greeted him with a hug as Ianto made his presence known.  The former apprentice had been working at the large desk, and it looked as if he was trying to preserve an old scroll.   “Welcome!” the Archivist said happily, pulling him away. “Is this visit business, or pleasure?”  He scratched a begging Myfanwy across her crest, and the dragon chittered happily at the attention.




“Wizard business actually,” Ianto answered, smiling.  “I’m here to do some research that Baron Daffyd has requested.  It didn’t help that I’m actually in town for the wedding.”

Brendan rolled his eyes.  “That had been a surprise, and no mistake.  I mean…Master Andrew?  I never saw him as the settling down type.”

“They say there’s someone out there for everyone.”  Ianto had actually agreed with Brendan’s assessment, and it had been one of several shocks when the wedding invitation had been passed on to him. 

“True.”  Brendan rubbed his hands together.  “So, what can I do for you today?”

“I need to get into the more ancient records.  I’m looking for a history that’s most likely about two thousand years old.”

Brendan nodded, already considering.  “Do you have anything to go on?”

“Not really.  Only something called the ‘Lost Kingdom’, or the ‘Kingdom of Magic’.  It’s supposed to be where the dragons originally came from.” 

“Yes, that’s not a lot to go on.  Do you mind some help?”

“Not at all.  But if you’re busy –“

“I am a little, but there’s another Wizard here, and I bet you can pull him in aid in the search.”

“Another Wizard?” Ianto frowned.  Daffyd’s message hadn’t mentioned another Wizard being on site.

Brendan began to head toward the oldest section of the Archives, and Ianto and Myfanwy followed.  “He’s not from around here,” the Archivist explained.  “Apparently he became a Wizard and now wants to know everything about it.  I’ll wager searching ancient records for a magical kingdom would be something he’d jump at.”

That would explain why Daffyd hadn’t said anything about a visiting Wizard.  If what Brendan said was true, then it was possible this other Wizard hadn’t even been to the school yet.

The man in question was immersed in reading a book in one of the chairs spread out around the Archives.  He seemed to be Ianto’s age or a little older, but he had a baby face that the Wizard was certain wouldn’t pass muster in some of the taverns in the area.  Brown hair flopped over his forehead, and intense blue eyes rose to look at them as they approached. 

A quicksilver movement around the stranger’s neck alerted Ianto to the Wizard’s dragon.  It was curled around the man’s shoulders, and was glittering silver, with red-orange eyes that blinked at them sleepily.   It wasn’t the tiniest dragon Ianto had ever seen, that honour went to the individual dragons of the Ood cloud that accompanied Donna Noble around, but it was certainly the smallest single one he’d come across in his travels.

The Wizard stood, and gave them a winning, bright smile.  “I hope this doesn’t mean I’ve overstayed my welcome,” he said, with an accent that reminded Ianto of someone from the eastern Baronies. 

“Not at all,” Brendan reassured him.  “Actually, we’re hoping we could ask for some help in a search that we only have vague information on.”  Then he seemed to remember his manners, and made introductions.  “Oh, and this is Master Ianto Jones, the Kingdom’s Wizard-at-Large.  Master Ianto, this is Lord Charles Xavier, he’s trying to learn all about the history of Wizards here in the Kingdom.”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

**Chapter Three**

Captain Jack Harkness stood in the foyer of the musty mansion, watching as several apprentices bustled around, working through the clutter of personal effects that Lord Henry Parker had left behind.

Jack didn’t have overly fond memories of the man, since he’d been the one who’d tried to have Ianto kidnapped back when his lover had first started showing his power, but he knew death was the great equalizer, and Lord Henry had been ill for a long time.  He’d gathered quite a collection of Artefacts over his long life, and after word of his passing had reached the Knights of Haven, the Knights’ Commander on site had ordered the place sealed, pending Wizard search for anything dangerous.  That had Daffyd sending a team to do scans of everything in the house, and while most of the detritus wasn’t anything worthwhile, they’d found a few items that definitely needed to be secured in the Archives at Gateway.

Up until two days ago, Ianto had been helping out.  He’s managed to identify the Artefacts that would need careful handling before heading into Cardiff Town to see his family before the wedding of Lady Lisa Hallet and Master Andrew Davidson.  Jack had wanted to go with him, but he’d needed to supervise security on the work being done.  It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his team or Suzie, but he’d just felt responsible for seeing the job completed.  He’d known Ianto had felt the same way, but his partner had promised Rhiannon that he’d be there before the wedding to spend time with her; that had been before Lord Henry had died, and he hadn’t wanted to change his plans.

So, that left Jack in Haven, scrutinizing anyone he didn’t recognize who came in through the doors, making certain nothing ‘walked’ off with any sort of stranger.  It was boring, but at least he would be leaving tomorrow morning to meet Ianto in Cardiff. 

He missed his lover when they were apart.  It still surprised him, his feelings for the Wizard.  Jack had lived a long time, and he’d loved some of the people he’d met:  Lady Rose, the woman who’d made him Deathless had been one, and then there was even Master John for a while even though that particular infatuation was long past.  Other people had touched his life over the thousand or so years since his first death at Gateway, as he’d tried to hold the city against the Nameless Demons who’d come on a wave of destruction. 

But nothing could compare with his feelings for a certain Ianto Jones.

It was a damned good thing the Wizard was well-nigh immortal, because Jack knew he’d never want to give him up, and if Ianto died it would destroy him.

He was pulled from his thoughts as Suzie joined him, her dark hair bedraggled and her black shirt and trousers stained with old dust.  Her dragon, Pilgrim, looked as disgruntled as she did.  “Thank the Gods this is almost done,” she sighed.  “Honestly, Lord Henry kept more shit than anyone I’ve ever met before.”

Suzie Costello had come into her own, ever since she’d realized that she was a Void Wizard.  Jack knew she still had issues with her power, dating back to how she’d actually found out about it, and he couldn’t blame her for it, not after being mentally trapped within the Void power.  Ianto had been the cause, but then she’d been trying to kill him at the time, and they’d long since forgiven each other for all that mess.   “According to Ianto, a lot of it’s pretty much junk.”

Suzie nodded.  “He’s right.  Lord Henry didn’t have any way to tell what was magical and what wasn’t, so it appears anything with a reputation for weirdness he collected.  I know he was supposed to have been a thorn in Torchwood Castle’s side, but they really didn’t have much to worry about.”

“I’m sure the Baroness will be glad to hear that.”  Jack couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of his voice.  Baroness Gwen had tried to reinterpret Ianto’s work contract in order to force him to marry, and Jack still wasn’t quite over her high-handedness yet. 

“Like it matters anymore.”

Suzie was right, of course.   Torchwood had long been the first defence against magic, and had been actively seeking magical Artefacts for centuries.  Now, with Gateway being rebuilt and the Wizard School having been founded, that purpose had been taken from her.

Jack almost felt sorry for her…almost.

“How long do you think it will take to clear all this out?” Jack asked.

The former Second sighed.  “About three days to take what we want.  It would go a lot easier if you and Ianto would have just said ‘no’ to the wedding, like I did.”

It hadn’t surprised Jack that Suzie had gotten an invitation as well.  She and Lady Lisa had spent some time together, and Suzie had the Knight to thank for getting her out of Providence Park and to Canary’s Wharf, at just the time she’d been needed.   “I think Ianto wanted to go to make sure Andy wasn’t making some sort of hideous mistake.”

Suzie rolled her eyes.  “Lady Lisa isn’t that bad; she just has an overinflated sense of duty.”

“You know I don’t really hold what happened against her,” the captain answered calmly.  He really didn’t. It had been Baroness Gwen who’d decided that the best way to keep Ianto in Cardiff and with the Castle would be to give him a wife.  Lady Lisa had…just been a bit extreme about it.  “He knew her, before all this.  They dated for a short while, before their careers separated them.  Ianto once told me that Lisa had changed a lot once she got her knight’s spurs.”

“People change,” Suzie shrugged.  “Besides, I think we all know who Ianto was meant to be with.”  Her eyes twinkled merrily.

Jack leered good-naturedly.  “You’d better be thinking what I think you’re thinking.”

She looked innocent.  “Of course, we all know Ianto belongs with Owen –“

He darted forward, poking her in the side.  He’d once learned her main ticklish spot during a mission that had involved the entire team needing to remove most of their clothing, and Jack was more than willing to put his knowledge to good use.  

Suzie squirmed away, letting out a very girlish and out-of-character giggle.  “Don’t make me hex you, Harkness.”  

“Big bad Wizard Suzie is gonna poke me with her wand?” Jack laughed.

“The only wand poking you’ll be getting is from Ianto,” she returned the laugh.  “I wouldn’t dare make him jealous. I don’t want to get on his bad side, he’s scary.”

It felt good to joke with her like this.  Suzie had been his friend and his Second, and he loved her as if she were his sister.  He’d fought for her when she’d been controlled by the Dagger of Life, and had given up his most lucrative contract when he’d invoked the hazard clause with Baroness Gwen in order to get her the help she’d needed.  Suzie had recovered on her own, and had been instrumental in helping them at Canary’s Wharf.  And now, she was a Void Wizard, and a teacher to boot.  She was so much more than she’d been, and Jack was so very proud of her.

“But he’s my kind of scary,” Jack grinned.

“Then you can deal with him when someone pisses him off.”

“That’s because I know it’s not me doing the pissing off.”

Suzie rolled her eyes.  “You think you’re untouchable, Harkness.”

Jack rested a hand on her shoulder.  “Nope, I just know how to tame the beast.”

“I’m sure I don’t want to know.”

“I could tell you stories –“

“Stop!” Suzie looked like she wanted to burst out laughing but was fighting it.  “I suddenly feel very sorry for Owen, having to travel with you.”

“You know you miss it!”  Jack actually knew she didn’t, but had to tease her.

“Why should I miss it when the kids I teach are more mature than you lot?”  Suzie was grinning madly.  

Jack couldn’t help it; he had to hug her. 

Suzie returned it.  “You’re all quite mad, you know that?”

The captain pressed a kiss into her dusty hair.  “That’s half the fun.”

The Wizard pulled back.  “I need to get back to work.  I nearly have all the more powerful items locked into carrying cases.  I just need to make certain the children don’t do anything to each other, like accidentally change themselves into small, furry creatures.”

“I’ll leave you to it.  Lunch later?  At the inn?”

“Count on it.  Now, I have to get to a point where I can actually take the time off to eat.  And you have to make certain nothing walks out of here that shouldn’t.”

Jack gave her a playful salute.  “Yes, ma’am!”

Suzie punched him lightly in the arm.  “None of that, Jack!  Or I’ll really have to hex you then!”

 

**********

 

Suzie managed to sneak out without Jack seeing, and so it was up to him to herd the apprentices and helpers out of the manor house so he could lock it behind him.  He took one quick look around to make certain the place was empty, and then sealed the house with a spell that Ianto had laid down before he’d gone to Cardiff, saying the keyword that would make the place impregnable. 

Checking up on the camp set up in the manor house’s courtyard as he passed, Jack rode out toward Haven, along the main road toward town.  He and Suzie – by dint of being the senior leaders onsite – had rooms at the Pegasus and Crown, the inn where he and his team always stayed when in Haven.  It was a pleasant place, and he and the others were well known there. 

Jack entered the common room of the Pegasus and Crown, looking for his former Second.  He saw Suzie at a table near the large fireplace that dominated the wall opposite the bar, and gave a smile as he headed toward her.  “How long have you been here?” he asked, eyeing the pint that sat in front of her.  Suzie’s clothes were also fresh, and the dust and cobwebs were gone.   Silver eyes watched him from under the table, where Pilgrim was obviously lurking.

“Just long enough to get cleaned up and start on my first drink.”  

“I’ll get our orders, since I’m standing.”

Suzie told him what she wanted, and Jack made his way to the bar to place the orders.  The common room was quiet, but then it was a bit too early in the day to be serving much beyond lunch. 

He chatted with the barmaid as she pulled his pint, and then Jack went back to the table.  “Should be up soon,” he told her, sliding in opposite her. 

Trust Suzie to get the side facing the door; old assassin habits died hard.

“What time are you heading out?” she asked, taking a drink.

“First thing,” Jack drank from his own tankard.  The beer at the Pegasus and Crown was quite good, which meant it was one of the very few places he actually imbibed the alcohol.  “It’ll take two days to get to Cardiff Town, and I do want to get there early enough to at least say hello to Ianto’s family.”  He really didn’t want to go to the actual wedding, but Jack wasn’t at all upset about visiting the Davies family.  He quite liked his lover’s sister and husband, and their two children were carrying on the magical blood of the Joneses.

“You really enjoy the whole idea of finally having family, don’t you?”  The question was honestly curious.

“I do, yeah.  I’ve had a lot of people pass through my life, but the only real family I’ve had have been my various teams…and now the Jones-Davieses.  And I can’t believe they’ve welcomed me like they have.”  It was true. Jack had a reputation, but it wasn’t being held against him at all…although Rhiannon had given him the ‘hurt my brother and I’ll make sure you stay dead’ speech.  Jack had thought it was wonderful, actually.  “You know you’re included in that, right?”

A very faint, very sweet smile curled Suzie’s lips.  “I know, Jack.  And I feel the same way.”  She cleared her throat.  “But let’s not get all mushy, all right?  Gods know I have enough on my plate at the moment.”

“Yeah, you and feelings just don’t go together,” Jack ribbed her.

“Damned right.”

Their food arrived at that point, and Jack tucked in, not realizing how hungry he was.  Their conversation went into light topics as they ate, the captain simply enjoying the company.  Yes, Ianto was in Cardiff, but at least he wasn’t alone.

He was just finishing up when Suzie tensed up, and he saw her hand dip below the table, reaching either for the knife or the wand she kept at her waist.  “Can we help you?” she asked frostily.

“Actually,” a very familiar voice said, “it’s more your boss than you, sweetheart.  Who looks fantastic for having been dead the last time I saw him.”

Jack didn’t even turn, trusting Suzie to watch his back.  “And what makes you think I’ll do anything for you, after what you pulled last time?  Or even the time before, come to think of it?” He paused.  “After all, you’re the one who actually killed me, and death by crossbow is nasty enough without having to bleed out the second death as well.”  He wasn’t going to mention kidnapping Ianto, because he didn’t think it needed to be said.

The scraping of a chair being pulled out sounded and a flash of red caught Jack’s eye in the seat beside him.  “I was asked to find you, or else I’d be halfway across the Western Lands by now.”

Jack did turn then, staring right into the pale eyes of his former partner, John Hart.  He was still wearing the red Imperial Army jacket that he’d owned before, but the undershirt was a dark blue instead of the dirty white he’d worn the last time Jack had seen him.  There were newer lines around Hart’s eyes, and he looked a bit tired.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a sudden hissing sound came from under the table, and Hart jumped up and backed away.  “What the hells was that?”

 Pilgrim’s dark purple head popped up where Hart had been sitting, his silver eyes whirling in anger.  The dragon hissed again, and then climbed up into the vacated chair, his wings flaring threateningly and his head raising in challenge.

“Call the damned thing off,” Hart demanded.  “I’m not about to get into a pissing contest with an overgrown lizard.”

 Jack was enjoying the display, but knew the few other patrons might become bothered by the dragon’s behaviour.  “Please calm him down,” he told Suzie in a pleasant tone.  “We don’t want to have to pay the innkeeper to have the blood cleaned up off the floor if he decides to attack.”

“If you say so.”  Suzie leaned over and rested her hand on her familiar’s back, and Pilgrim subsided but didn’t leave the chair, nor did he stop watching Hart.

The dragon had excellent instincts.

“What do you want?” Jack asked with a tired sigh.  “And it had better be good, because I don’t have the patience to put up with your shit.”

Hart eyed the dragon warily.  “Well, I heard the rumours about you and Eye Candy, and thought I’d check them out.  Deathless…really?”  He was trying to sound blasé about it, and not succeeding.

“You said you were asked to find Jack,” Suzie pointed out.  “By whom?  And please answer fast, because I’d like to finish my lunch, and I’d rather not have to pull my wand on anyone today that isn’t one of my apprentices.”

“You can pull your wand on me anytime,” Hart leered.

“Gods…another one who thinks the word ‘wand’ is a euphemism for a man’s dick,” Suzie sighed.  “Can’t anyone get any better material?”

“Hey!” Jack mock-pouted, “my material is pretty damned good, thank you very much!”

 “If you say so…aren’t you going to introduce me to your…friend?”

Jack remembered then that Suzie had never met Hart personally.  He and Ianto had told the team about him, after his abortive attempt to kidnap Ianto and bring him back to Haven and to Lord Henry Parker, but they’d never come into contact.  “Suzie Costello, Void Wizard and Mistress of the Wizard School. Suzie, this is John Hart, former partner of mine whom I thought Ianto had magicked out of my hair permanently.”

The look on Suzie’s face was priceless, and Jack could tell she was itching to pull her wand and cast some sort of spell on Hart. 

“I’d be quick about talking, Hart,” Jack prompted.  “Suzie has a hair trigger and knows some pretty nasty magic.”  Honestly, he didn’t know what spells his friend had on her, but it was a fair bet that some were fairly spectacular.  Suzie had fully adopted her dark side, and her Void heritage, after an extremely rocky start.

Hart held his hands up in surrender.   “Fine, fine!  No need to get pissy!  Look, I was minding my own business in a small café in New Andrade when this spooky kid shows up and tells me I need to go and find the Deathless.  She told me to give you this.”  Moving slowly, the mercenary reached into his jacket, and pulled out a card, handing it to Jack over Pilgrim’s wary head.

Jack took it…and recognized it instantly.  

His heart hammered in his chest.

“Jack?” Suzie was clearly worried.

He didn’t say anything.  He simply turned the card toward her, so she could look at it.

On it was a stylized skeleton, carrying a tall scythe and dressed in black robes.

 _Death_.

Suzie cursed violently. 

“This girl,” Jack said, surprised at how steady his voice was, “did she look about fourteen, with blonde hair and dressed like something from about five hundred years ago?”

“I take it you know her then,” Hart commented.  “Jack, I’d really appreciate you not sending your exes around to stalk me –“

“Don’t even joke about it,” Jack snapped.  “You have no idea what sort of power you’re dealing with here.”  No one knew just what the girl was, but he was willing to bet she wasn’t human.

“Look,” Hart said, “I only know what she told me: to go to Haven and bring you that card as a warning, after explaining to me that my ex was actually the legendary Deathless.  You mind explaining what the hells’ are going on?”

Jack opened his mouth to explain about the Seer known as the Unearthly Child, but didn’t get a chance, as one of the pouches on his belt began to vibrate.

Dread washed over him as he tugged open the pouch, and he pulled the magical speaking stone out, placing it on the table.  He hadn’t been expecting any sort of call today, and with the Death card lying on the table he couldn’t help but think one had something to do with the other.

That dread doubled when Suzie brought hers out as well, and it was making the same vibration that Jack’s own was.

“You have a pet rock now, Jack?” Hart quipped.

Jack didn’t even have time to tell him to shut up before both stones began to shout with an odd echo that scraped down his spine. 

_“Every stone out there!  This is Master Ianto in Cardiff.  The town is in danger.  We need help –“_

And with that, the voice cut out.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Ianto extended his hand to the other Wizard. Lord Charles shook it enthusiastically.  “It’s a very great honour to meet you,” the man said, his voice pleasantly accented.  “I’ve heard about you, of course, although I hadn’t thought we’d actually ever be speaking.”

He found himself a bit bemused by Lord Charles’ friendly demeanour.  “You’re researching Wizard history?” he enquired politely. 

Lord Charles nodded, releasing Ianto’s hand.   “I’m from an island off to the southwest of here, and I was curious about the sudden growth of Wizardry in the world.  So, when I landed here in Cardiff, I asked around and found out that this was one of the places to try for more information.  That, and the Wizard’s School, which I think is simply fantastic that you have one, by the way…”

It seemed that the man’s default setting was ‘enthusiastic’.  It should have made Ianto uncomfortable, but for some reason it didn’t.   “The school is really the best place to get the information you want,” he said, then turned to Brendan, who was standing there, watching them as if it was some sort of sporting event.  “No offense, Brendan.”

“Oh, none taken, Master Ianto,” the Archivist assured him.  “You’re right, and I did tell Lord Charles that –“

“The school was to be my next stop,” the other Wizard assured him.  “Brendan here tells me that all the important personas are there, and I could get a first-hand account, but I thought I’d do a bit of research beforehand.  Besides, I do enjoy trawling through a good Archive.”

“Master Ianto is the one responsible for most of the organization of our Archives,” Brendan pointed out.  “That was before he was named Wizard-at-Large, of course.”

Ianto found himself blushing slightly under the praise.   “Please…”

“He was the youngest Master Archivist in the Castle ever,” Brendan went on.  “He really changed things when he was put in charge, and that was even before he realized he was a Wizard.”

“All right,” Ianto said, putting an end to what was going to turn into blatant hero-worship, “as much as I appreciate it, Brendan, I think we should get onto the job I’ve been asked to do here.”  He touched the younger Archivist’s shoulder in an effort to soften his words.  “I’m on a time constraint here.”

That time constraint didn’t bother Myfanwy, who immediately went up to the new Wizard and demanded attention.  Ianto stifled a sigh; but at the same time he knew that Myfanwy was a very good judge of people, and would never approach someone who could be a source of danger to her Wizard.

Lord Charles glanced down at the red and gold dragon, grinning widely.  “Now, aren’t you a beautiful one,” he crooned, running his fingers across Myfanwy’s crest, the dragon practically purring at the touch. 

“Please excuse Myfanwy,” Ianto said dryly.  “She requires worship from nearly every human she meets.”

The other Wizard laughed.  “It’s no problem, I quite understand.  My own Cerebro is a bit shy, but once he gets to know a person they need to watch out for spontaneous demands for affection.”   The silver dragon around Lord Charles’ neck was looking at Ianto, and it was if he passed some sort of test, because Cerebro chirped then rested his small head against his Wizard’s clavicle.  “Yep, you may want to watch out for any sort of ambush,” Lord Charles added.  “But you were saying something about a time constraint?”

Ianto nodded, glad to get back on task.   “I was given some parameters to search for among the oldest records in the Archive.  Brendan suggested that I ask you if you wouldn’t mind helping, to make things go faster.”

“Not at all!” Lord Charles answered.  “I’ll be happy to.  Just let me put this book away –“

“I can take care of that, My Lord,” Brendan offered.  “And Master Ianto…here’s the key to the lowermost section.”  He passed over a ring, with several keys on it of varying ages. 

Ianto knew immediately which key it was, and thanked the young man.  The Archivist waved it off.  “It’s no problem, and I need to get back to what I was doing.   I’m sure you remember your way?”

“It hasn’t been that long,” Ianto chuckled.  “I’m sure I can cope.”

That earned him a grin.   “Just bring them back when you’re done, please.  Now, some of us have actual jobs to do.”  Brendan nodded to both of them, then headed back in the direction they’d come, the book that Lord Charles had been reading tucked under his arm.

“Shall we?” Ianto motioned toward the aisle.

“Let’s.”

The Torchwood Castle Archives had been cut from the bedrock under the immense structure over it, but the older sections had a much more rough finish to them than the main area, where most of the records were kept.  Ianto led the way down toward those older sections, explaining the construction as he went.

The section they were heading into had once been the castle dungeons, until the castle’s mandate had been changed a little over seven hundred years previously.  After that, entire corridors had been either blocked off or converted for storage.  Unfortunately, they retained the gloominess of the original dungeons, despite centuries of Archivists keeping the place clean. 

“This doesn’t seem the place to keep delicate documents,” Lord Charles commented as they officially passed into the oldest areas.

“To be honest, this was the where the most dangerous of the magical Archives were kept.” Ianto conjured a ball of cold fire to light the way through the darkened corridor.  “The best place to keep a Secure Archive is where no one can get in or out, and so a majority of the old dungeons were re-tasked to that purpose.  Other areas were bricked up, and others completely abandoned.  There were rumours for a while that an ancient Cardinal Point was at the very bottom of the hub, but I’d have been able to sense it a long time ago if there were.”

Of course, those rumours hadn’t called it a Cardinal Point.   It had been referenced as a place of power, and Ianto had made certain assumptions from the old records on hand. 

Metal doors in surprisingly good condition appeared on either side of the corridor, marking the area where the cells began.  

“You said ‘was kept?’ I’m assuming all the Artefacts were moved when the Wizard School opened?”

“You’re right,” Ianto said. “All of these cells are empty now.”  He’d helped relocate the Artefacts himself.

“If you moved the Artefacts, why not the documents as well?”

 It was a valid question, and Ianto grimaced.  “Politics.”  He sighed, knowing the other Wizard wouldn’t know anything about the political climate of the Kingdom since he’d made his rather spectacular appearance three years previously.  It had been a mess, with contracts and conflict and Exclusivity, and Ianto didn’t really want to explain too much of it.  Let Lord Charles find out about that later, after he’d spent a bit more time in the Kingdom.  At least under King Rory’s rule he would be safe from being snapped up by the first opportunistic Barony to see what he was and want their own personal Wizard in order to add to their prestige.

It could have been so much worse; Lord Charles could have landed on Albion. 

Although, judging from the matching grimace on the other Wizard’s face, Lord Charles just might have understood without getting any of the necessary facts.

The door they wanted was on the right.  There was nothing to mark it, but Ianto knew it was the correct one from memory.  He used the key Brendan had given him to unlock the heavy metal door, and he pulled it open, revealing darkness inside.

His little handheld ball of blue fire lighting the way, Ianto entered into the room.  It smelled strongly of paper and leather, and of being closed up and sealed.

The tingle of ancient magic danced over his skin as he passed over the threshold.

He’d been surprised when he’d first discovered that there was magic surrounding this room.  It had been his first trip down, when he’d been an apprentice and the former Master Archivist had been showing him the older sections, and he’d commented on it at once.  His master had been shocked that there was a magic spell on the room, and Ianto had been a little too uncertain of his own Catalyst abilities at that point, but after he’d come back after that fateful journey that had brought him into his magic he’d realised the spell had actually been two: Protection and Preservation, perfect for what the room contained.

This was where the oldest documents were kept.  Some of them had been dated to thousands of years old, delicate wisps of paper and binding and wood, barely holding together as the years pressed heavily upon them.  Most of them would have been gone by now, if it weren’t for the magic that kept them preserved; magic that Ianto had strengthened once  he’d known how to do it.  This room, above anything else in the Archives, was the one place he would never clean out, never move away from the power that prevented their destruction.  They couldn’t be risked in that way. 

The moment Ianto entered the room, the light globes that he’d previously set up inside automatically brightened into luminescence.  It was another thing he’d done, only he’d waited until he’d become Master Archivist.  Using the strange, magical lights he’d found in the Archives he had replaced the candles and torches that would have been used to light the space, wanting to prevent any accidents.  He’d seen the purpose for them the moment he’d sussed out their use, and had figured out how to make them turn on when anyone came into the former cell.

He also carried one around with him constantly. Ianto had lost track of how many times he’d used it in his travels.

The room had been outfitted with shelves on three of the four walls, and a desk took up the fourth wall, where one could work with the documents without needing to remove them from their magically protected home. 

A soft, wordless exclamation came from Lord Charles as the man got his first good look into the room.  “Just how old are these?” he asked, his voice hushed as if the very tone would do damage.

“Some have been dated at nearly three thousand years old,” Ianto answered, equally quiet.  “What I’m looking for is going to be in records at least two thousand years.  If we have anything on it at all.”  He made his way over to the desk, making certain that Myfanwy was settled somewhere she wouldn’t get in the way, and then pulled two pair of soft, cotton gloves from one of the desk drawers.  He handed a pair to his new helper.  “From what I was told, it was a legend when Master John was born, and that was over a thousand years ago.”  At Lord Charles’ incredulously raised eyebrow, Ianto explained, “Master John travelled in time…yet another long story.  You’ll get to meet him when you get to the school, since he teaches there.”

“I look forward to it.  Time travel…I’d never have thought it.”

“Well, it’s more his dragon than him,” Ianto corrected.  Then he considered.  “Why don’t you come back with us when we return?  I’m here in town for a week, for a wedding, but after that we’ll be heading back to Gateway.  You’re more than welcome to travel with us.”  There was something about the other man that Ianto instinctively trusted, and that was before Myfanwy had given her seal of approval.

“I’d love that.  But…’we’?”

“Jack will be here in a couple of days…Captain Jack Harkness.  I don’t know if you’ve heard of him yet –“

“The Deathless?” Ianto could swear Lord Charles was going to dance in place. 

“That’s him, yes.”  Ianto knew that Jack hated the fact that it was becoming more and more open knowledge that he was the Deathless of legend, but there really wasn’t anything anyone could do about it.   “There might also be Suzie…Mistress Suzie Costello.  She’s a friend and also a teacher at the school.  We were working in Haven on a project before I had to come here, and I don’t know if Suzie would wait to travel back with us, or leave when that’s done.”

“I think the idea of Deathless is fascinating,” Lord Charles went on.  “I’ve only heard of him though, not how he became that way…”  Something in Ianto’s expression turned his happy grin wry.  “Another long story I take it?”

“Yep.  Although I’m sure Jack would tell you if you asked.  And we’ll have plenty of time on the trip to Gateway.”  Ianto pulled on his gloves.  “Now, as to what we’re looking for here…I don’t have much to go on, only what Baron Daffyd told me: we’re looking for references to a Lost Kingdom, or a Kingdom of Magic.  It’s purported to be the legendary home of the dragons.”

A shadow seemed to pass over Lord Charles’ face, but then was gone, and Ianto couldn’t swear to what that meant.  “Sounds pretty vague.  Did he say why?”

“There’s a Seer in Gateway, and she saw some sort of danger that had to do with this Lost Kingdom.  Daffyd’s hoping we can find some sort of clue as to what that danger would be.”

“That makes sense.  The past can, many times, tell us about our present.”  Lord Charles also pulled on his gloves.  “Shall we get started?”

 

**********

 

Ianto had no idea how long they’d been working in the ancient records when he thought he found something.

It was on a scroll that was so brittle that he’d been afraid to touch it.  The scroll was in a language that he’d needed his magical glasses to interpret.  He’d had to ask Lord Charles if he needed any help translating, and the other Wizard had waved him off, saying he wasn’t having any trouble at all, which Ianto thought was strange for a new Wizard, but he let it slide.  Perhaps he had some sort of gift for languages? 

The scroll that Ianto was translating told an interesting story, and he called Lord Charles over to share it with him.  It was supposedly the story of a kingdom that had hidden itself away using magic, although the reason for it wasn’t given.  It mentioned this place being the home of the dragons, and of elementals and Elves and Wizards all living together in harmony.  It was fascinating, but it didn’t really give any more background than what Idris had given them.

Lord Charles, though, had the best luck of them all.

“Master Ianto,” he called out, holding what looked like a map in his hands.  He carefully spread it out on the desk, and Ianto glanced over it.

It was indeed a map, yellowed and faded with its great age.  Ianto could make out the familiar lines of the borders of the United Kingdom, with the neighbouring kingdom of what was now Albion across the North Channel also obvious.  The large mass of the Western Lands were there, as well as the Eastern Empire, and Esplanade and the Great Southern Desert, although none of them were called that.

But what was of more interest was the landmass that lay south and west of the Kingdom, in an area of ocean that Ianto was certain had nothing in it.

It was shaped like an inverted comma, with a mountain range and a tall peak near the southern curve of the land.  It was somewhat larger than the United Kingdom, but narrower even at its widest point.  Curlicues that designated forests had been drawn in the upper peninsula, as well as a star that had to denote the capitol of whatever kingdom this had been.   

Faded letters spelled out a word within the curved area of the continent, and Ianto had to squint to make them out.

_Genosha._

“This has to be it,” Ianto whispered in awe.  “When was this map made?”

“I was looking at the very edge of the dating of the documents on the far shelf,” Lord Charles answered.  “So, about three thousand years ago.”

Ianto whistled.  “Now we know what this place was called.  We just need to know why it vanished –“

“Something’s wrong.”

Ianto turned to look at Lord Charles.  The Wizard had two fingers up to his temple, and his eyes had gone vague.  His dragon, Cerebro, had perked up from his place on his shoulder, the red-orange eyes closed and small body tensed as a bowstring.

“What is it?” Ianto could suddenly sense something beyond the magic that had been cast on this room; this was different, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

“I…don’t know,” the Wizard answered.  His attention snapped back.  “But we need to go, now.”

While Ianto didn’t know just what had happened, he could recognize it as power, and followed Lord Charles from the room, stifling the questions he had as he called to Myfanwy.  The red and gold dragon practically flew out into the corridor.

Ianto took the time to lock the former cell, and then was after the running Lord Charles, urgency eating at him even though he had no idea what was going on.  Perhaps the Wizard was some sort of seer?  It was possible.  Or maybe some other type of magic that Ianto wasn’t familiar with?  That was also possible; they may be fond of saying that he was very powerful, but that didn’t mean a thing if Ianto had no idea what was going on. 

Together, the two Wizards burst out into the main Archives once more, nearly bumping into a young woman whom Ianto seemed to recall worked in the kitchens.  Lord Charles didn’t slow down; he dodged his way around her, and around two others before nearly colliding with Brendan.  The young Archivist grabbed him, and Ianto practically skidded to a stop as he tried to avoid knocking either man down.

“The warning bells are sounding,” Brendan reported breathlessly, as if he’d been the one running and not the pair of Wizards. 

Ianto’s heart constricted; that explained the presence of other people in the Archives.  “Do we know why?”

“No, Master Ianto,” Brendan answered.  “Those in the lower levels of the castle are evacuating to here, as per protocol – “

It had been the long-standing order of the rulers of the Barony: when the alarm sounded, those closest would come to the Archives, which could be sealed.  “As soon as everyone is here, seal the area,” he said, even as Lord Charles was pulling his arm from Brendan’s grasp and heading toward the Archives’ exit. 

“But Master Ianto –“

Ianto didn’t answer.  Instead, he followed on Lord Charles’ heels, needing to find out what was going on that would cause the warning bells of Cardiff to sound.  He could barely remember the last time; it had been when he’d been five, and it had warned of an incoming maelstrom, one of the powerful ocean storms that sometimes roared onshore with the strength of one of the hells letting loose.  It was nearly that season; could this be what was wrong?

He caught up with Lord Charles at the steps leading up into the main castle area.  He’d been blocked by a steady stream of people heading downward, and Ianto darted in the lead, Myfanwy with him, and together he and his dragon managed to clear the path long enough to leave the Archives.  He could now hear the peal of the warning bells, even if they were dull and echoing from the surrounding stone. 

“Come on,” Ianto shouted, heading up and into the kitchens, once again dodging those who were evacuating.  A couple of people tried to stop them, but Ianto pulled himself free and kept up his pace.

“Where are we going?” Lord Charles panted.

“The tower.  We need to see what’s going on.”

“I can hear them,” the other Wizard went on.  “I can hear the people panicking in my mind.”

Ianto was too worried to be impressed by that, but he did make a mental note to see if he could be taught that magic.  That certainly explained how Lord Charles had known that there was something going on.  “I hope you don’t mind a lot of stairs!”

Lord Charles didn’t answer, but the breathless snort was enough of a response.

The spiral staircase leading to the Wizard’s Tower were just off the main hall, and Ianto was glad that they were going with the flow of people now, until he got to the doorway to the tower itself.  He cut through the arch, and started up the stone stairs, the warning bell louder and more urgent the farther up he went.  His lungs were beginning to burn, and his legs began to ache as he climbed higher, and he could hear Lord Charles’ boots on the stone behind him, trying to keep up.

Ianto was familiar with the tower.  It had been his home in the short time after he’d gotten back from that fated mission with Jack and the team, and his leaving Cardiff for good.  The Baroness had thought she was rewarding him by gifting him the new quarters, but Ianto had loathed the climb with a passion.  However, he’d gained a lot of strength in his legs over those few months, so he couldn’t complain too much, but today the stairs seemed to go on forever when he wanted to be up at the top right then.

Myfanwy went ahead, flying up the central column of the stairs, and Ianto could feel her distress even as he was dealing with his own fear.  Adrenaline was the only thing keeping him from stopping and taking a breath, and he could hear Lord Charles begin to flag behind him if the man’s harsh exhalations were any indication.

They broke out onto the main landing, and Ianto threw the door to his old room open.  Nothing was within anymore; he’d collected his things a long time ago.  He was tempted to throw open one of the windows to look out, but wanted to get to the very apex of the tower, the better to see what was going on.

The door to the rooftop entry was just beyond the fireplace, and Ianto had it pulled open in the time it took him to magically manipulate the lock.  Then they were taking another set of stairs, this one shorter than the marathon they’d just run, and the trapdoor to the top of the tower was just over Ianto’s head.

Ianto slid the bolt that kept the trapdoor sealed, and was pushing the access up and out, clambering up the ladder and onto the very top of the tower.  The view from there was amazing, and Ianto had often found himself up there during his forced presence within the castle, looking out over the town and wondering where Jack had been travelling. 

Now, he found himself looking for a danger though he didn’t know what that threat was.          

And then he saw it.

“Bloody hells,” Lord Charles panted roughly as he climbed up onto the tower.  “I need to be in better shape!”

Ianto didn’t respond.  He couldn’t.  He was too busy letting the fear of what he was seeing settle over him. 

The next thing Lord Charles said was a soft curse, and Ianto had to completely agree with him.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

**Chapter Five**

Daffyd stood in front of the large mirror in his office, not paying attention to his reflection at all.  Instead, he ran his hand along one side of the ornate frame, feeling the magic in the mirror flowing under his fingers as he activated the spell that had been laid into the glass.

One of the first things he’d done was request that every barony have at least one of the mirrors.  Those had been set so that someone non-magical could use them, but the one in his office was the only device that could connect all of the mirrors together, forming a large magical communication network that could link the entire Kingdom in case of emergency. 

There were also individual mirrors in other places, such as the one in the Davies home in Cardiff, but they were smaller and less powerful.  Daffyd only used that one if he needed to leave a message for Ianto that he didn’t want to get onto the speaking stone network, as he had with his request to search the Archives for anything having to do with the Lost Kingdom.  He hadn’t wanted to cause a panic about Idris’ seeing, and he knew he could trust Rhiannon to get word to her brother.

Of course, this meant that she used the opportunity to try to convince Daffyd to come for a visit.

She’d practically adopted Daffyd into her home when she’d learned the truth about him, and Daffyd had been grateful for the acceptance.  But, this was a major difference between his timeline and the one he’d found himself in: he’d been an only child before, whereas here Ianto had an older sister.  It was jarring, and while it should have made him feel a bit better it simply threw the similarities between his world and this one into even sharper relief.  He didn’t have the heart to tell her, and would always brush her off, but Daffyd was beginning to wonder if Rhiannon didn’t know exactly what was going on. 

After promising to give her brother the message as soon as he “got his lazy arse ready for the day” – which Daffyd wanted to laugh at, since he didn’t know a less lazy person than Ianto Jones – Rhiannon had proceeded to catch him up on things in the Davies household, and Daffyd thought he’d hid his discomfort well.  It wasn’t that he begrudged them their good fortune; far from it.  It was just yet another reminder of what he couldn’t have.

The thing was Daffyd hadn’t really thought like that until recently.  It was as if, after getting the school set up and running, he’d gained enough time to dwell on things.  He didn’t want to be that way, but he just couldn’t help it.  It made him feel angry and out of sorts, and as his Jack had commented, broody.

Daffyd sighed.  He needed to deal with this before it got completely out of hand.

After conversing with Rhiannon, Daffyd had gotten on with business of the day, and now was just returning to the mirror, knowing that he needed to report to Their Majesties about what Idris had said.  He’d hoped that Ianto would have reported in something by now, but there’d been no word from the Wizard as yet.  But then, he’d only given Ianto the information he’d had, and that had been very little, so it shouldn’t have been surprising that his counterpart hadn’t found out anything in the few hours he’d been working at it. 

Even without more to go on, he couldn’t put off reporting to Their Majesties any longer, in case Idris’ vision wasn’t giving them much advance warning.

Daffyd bent the magic of the mirror to his will, reaching out for the answering magic of the mirror he wanted to connect to.  His reflection wavered, as if he was seeing himself through intense heat, and then it bled, reforming into another image.  It was of a well-appointed and comfortable-looking room, one that Daffyd recognized as King Rory’s personal study.  He’d been inside it before, when he’d hung the magical mirror nearly three years ago.

Of course, the room was empty.

It looked as if Daffyd would have to wait, but then he’d expected he’d have to.  It was early enough that Their Majesties could very well be in court for the morning, and would be away for a good long while.

Which meant Daffyd could get a bit of work done.  Not that he really wanted to, but the school – and by extension, Barony – didn’t run itself.  And so, he found himself at his desk, yet another of the small green Ood dragons curled up on a stack of papers, going through the finance reports that Donna had thoughtfully prepared for him. 

Daffyd had no idea what he’d do without her, even if she did remind him of one of his best friends from his old timeline.

He managed to get some work done before the sound of a throat clearing caught his attention.   Daffyd glanced up, and saw the Royal Chamberlain, Lord John Smith – and Daffyd had to laugh at the commonality of that name – peering out of the mirror at him.

The tall, thin man must have seen Daffyd’s look, because he grinned.  “Your Grace,” he greeted, as Daffyd rose from his chair to stand before the magical device. 

“Lord John,” Daffyd returned the greeting.  “Are Their Majesties available?”

The Chamberlain fidgeted.  “They’re just now finishing up in court, and they should be here shortly.  I take it this could be construed as urgent?”

“To be honest, I’m not certain yet, but I wanted to let them know what’s come up.”

Lord John nodded.  “I’ll let them know right away.  Be back in a tick.”  With that, he was gone.

Daffyd remained in front of the mirror, waiting.  From dealing with Lord John on other occasions, a ‘tick’ could be anywhere from five minutes to five hours; the man really had no sense of time.  And yet, he was very good at his job, and Daffyd had once considered trying to coax him away to work at the school…but gave it up for a lost cause.  Lord John was completely loyal to the King and Queen, and Daffyd doubted there was anything that he could offer to get the man to leave them.

He was just about to start fidgeting when there was a flurry of movement just on the one side of the mirror, and Their Majesties appeared within the glass.  King Rory and Queen Amelia were a handsome couple, older than they looked, with an of-age daughter who enjoyed swords more than frocks.  They were well-loved by the people of the Kingdom, and were excellent rulers, even if he didn’t agree with some of their decisions. 

“Your Grace,” King Rory said, giving the Wizard a pleased smile.  “It’s always a pleasure.”

“You say that now,” Queen Amelia added, nudging her husband teasingly.  “But from the look on Daffyd’s face I’d say it’s not the best news.”

The Queen had always been good at getting to the heart of the matter.  “I wouldn’t say that,” Daffyd answered, not at all bothered by her familiarity, “it’s more…bothersome.  Or confusing might be a better word to use.”

He went on to explain Idris’ Seeing, reporting it back almost verbatim.  Their Majesties didn’t interrupt him once, although the King frowned when he got to the part about someone coming for the Queen.  His arm went around Amelia, and the Queen looked fierce.  “Let anyone come for me,” she growled, “and I’ll kick ‘em where it’ll do the most good!”

Daffyd barely hid his flinch.  “Idris is certain it’s not you, Your Majesty.  Although I can’t imagine just what Queen she’s talking about.”

“There are quite a few Queens out there,” King Rory mused.  “It could mean anyone.”

“Well, except for Albion,” Queen Amelia said.  “Queen Igraine passed away some years ago, and King Uther’s never saw fit to marry again.”

Daffyd knew quite a bit about the Kingdom of Albion.  He’d sent a representative when the school officially opened, requesting permission to Test for magic among the people there.  King Uther had sent them back with a stern warning that magic was outlawed and that no Wizard was welcome. 

“Idris emphasized _Queen_ in a way that meant, to me, that she knew exactly who she was speaking of, but it was as if she couldn’t get the words out.”  That was the problem with Idris’ visions; they were vague and half the time it was as if the common tongue was alien to her. 

He went on to explain the rest of the conversation, and when he was finished, the King was nodding to himself. “And what sort of investigation are you initiating?” he inquired.

“I’ve sent word to Master Ianto.  He’s in Cardiff, to attend the wedding of Lady Lisa Hallet and Master Andrew Davidson.”

Queen Amelia grinned.  “I bet Master Ianto was glad to hear about that particular event.”

Daffyd snorted, and let that be his tacit agreement.  “I’ve asked him to check the Torchwood Archives, hoping to find some sort of clue as to what this Lost Kingdom is.”  He frowned, and was about to expound on just why it would have been easier if the physical Archive had been transferred to Gateway, but the King cut him off.

“I know what you’re going to say, and while We agree with you on principle you know the reason why the Archive cannot be moved.  To take it from Baroness Gwen could be construed an act of theft, and would paint Us in a bad light.  So please, don’t even ask about it again.”  His voice had gone cold, and Daffyd couldn’t help but notice the royal plural.

The Wizard sighed.  He was well aware of the matter.  While Torchwood Castle and the Barony of Cardiff had been chartered to collect and store dangerous magical Artefacts, the physical Archives had been started even before that charter had been written.  Their Majesties could amend the original charter to place the Artefacts into the hands of actual Wizards, but it would have been an act of political idiocy to order the entire Archive to Gateway.  Baroness Gwen had several very powerful allies, and while Rory Williams was the King by right and by blood, any sort of outcry would have made his ability to wield power that much more difficult, and he couldn’t really afford a rift among the Baronies.  Personally, he believed it was the Baroness’ bit of vengeance for losing both the Magical Archive and her Wizard all in one fell swoop.

Daffyd had to pick his battles, and this wasn’t one of them.

“Have you heard from Master Ianto yet?” Queen Amelia asked, getting them back on topic. 

Daffyd was glad for her in that moment.  “Not yet, but then it hasn’t been that long.  I hope to know more by tonight.”  He didn’t add that, if the Archive was in Gateway, he could have had more than just one person doing the searching.  “According to Master John, the legend of the Lost Kingdom goes back thousands of years.  There might not even be anything about it still in writing.  I only know it was supposed to have been the home of the dragons.”

“If what Idris saw was accurate,” King Rory said, “then we have to be prepared for this co-called Lost Kingdom coming back, and it’s not going to be a good thing.”

The Wizard wanted to argue, but he couldn’t.    _Its coming brings destruction in the water._ Those had been Idris’ words, and they were ominous.  They couldn’t take this lightly.  Anything could happen, and they had to be prepared.

Although, to be honest, the idea of a magical kingdom somewhere out there was so very tantalizing.  Daffyd couldn’t imagine a place where Wizards and magical beings could exist, where people could practice their craft without suspicion and fear.  Yes, in the United Kingdom there wasn’t much of that, since Wizards were protected under Royal decree, but when he thought about Albion and its outlawing of magic…there were most likely other places out there where his own kind were hunted and executed simply because of the magic that ran through their veins.  He’d heard rumours of that happening beyond the Eastern Empire, and it had horrified him.  In his old home, Wizards had been respected…and yes, even feared at times, but on the whole things had been peaceful and Wizards were left alone to govern themselves.   This was what Daffyd was working for now; to build the few Wizards into a cohesive force, with the ability and the might to take care of their own.

 “I have Master John keeping an eye on Idris, in case she Sees something else,” Daffyd told Their Majesties.  “If she does, it gives us more information in order to narrow the search –“

A sudden buzzing sound made him jump, and Daffyd whirled toward his desk in surprise.  It was the unmistakable sound of an incoming message on his personal speaking stone, and he excused himself for a moment.  “It might be Master Ianto,” he called over his shoulder, making his way to the desk.  “He might have found something.”  He hoped so, but at the same time Daffyd was concerned, since the speaking stone network wasn’t the most secure way of communication there was.  He would have thought that Ianto would have used the mirror at his sister’s, or, if it was urgent, then the mirror at Torchwood Castle.

He’d barely even picked up the stone when it began shouting at him.

_“Every stone out there!  This is Master Ianto in Cardiff.  The town is in danger.  We need help –“_

And then it cut off.

Daffyd clutched the speaking stone tightly in his fist, his heart hammering.  This couldn’t be a coincidence.  Idris’ Seeing had no timing on it, but the Wizard knew enough about future visions to know that they could happen at any time. 

He had a terrible feeling that it was happening _now_ , and it was happening in Cardiff.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

**Chapter Six**

It usually took two days to get from Haven to Cardiff Town.

Jack and the team did it in a little over a day.

The moment that Ianto’s voice had cut off from the speaking stone, Jack had been ready to leave.  It had only been Suzie’s calm in the face of his own terror that had gotten him to listen to her; she’d convinced him to go first to Haven’s Knight’s Commander and to explain that something was happening in Cardiff.  She would get them packed and recall the team from wherever they were, and be ready to ride out as soon as Jack had finished.

It had made sense.  And so, after a tense meeting with the Knight’s Commander, Lady Kathy Swanson, and then an equally difficult meeting with the Lord Mayor, Jack had found his team ready to go as per Suzie’s word.  Every one of them had looked worried, and since there had been no further communication with Ianto Jack hadn’t been able to comfort any of them.  Jack himself had calmed considerably, but that didn’t stop the fear nibbling at his mind as he mounted his horse and led his team out of Haven and onto the main road to Cardiff.

John Hart had accompanied them.

Jack had ordered him to stay behind, but when Hart had argued against staying in Haven he’d let it slide.  If Hart wanted to come, then Jack wasn’t going to stop him.  He didn’t have the breath to fight him on it.  He could only think of Ianto, and what his lover might be going through. 

They’d ridden into the night, and it had only been Owen convincing him to rest the horses that had made Jack stop sometime after middle-night.  Jack hadn’t wanted to, but he knew they’d only be delayed if one or more of the horses came up lame, and so he’d ordered them to camp for a couple of hours.

It had been one of the hardest decisions he’d ever had to make.

However, just before dawn Jack’s speaking stone had vibrated and a short message had come through from Master John – already on site in Cardiff thanks to the teleportation magic of his dragon – that Ianto was fine. 

The relief among the team was palpable, even as Jack sent a message along asking for more details of what had happened in Cardiff.  No response came, and so the team had gotten back on the road, and Jack kept them moving, not knowing what was going on and still worried about Ianto despite the assurance that his lover was fine.

They did stop a couple of times, to eat and to take care of the horses, and it was just coming up on dusk when Jack saw the first tent.

He reined his horse in, and the rest of the team did the same.  The tent was a plain white canvas, with a small fire burning just outside the entrance.  A woman and two children were seated next to the flames, and they looked up at Jack and his people with a terrible blankness that spoke of severe shock.

Beyond that tent, there were others, of different materials and sizes, and Jack prodded his mount into motion, knowing they wouldn’t get a straight answer out of the woman…not in her condition.  He wondered where her husband was, but he didn’t ask.  

He was afraid to.

“Gods,” Owen muttered.  “What the hells’ happened?”

“It’s like a refugee camp,” Tommy added, sounding upset. 

“Maybe someone attacked Cardiff?” Martha mused.

“It doesn’t do any good to guess,” Jack cut across the speculation.   “Let’s get some facts and then we can try to figure out what’s going on.”

They didn’t have far to go for those facts.

A group of three riders approached them from the direction of Cardiff.  The party was armed, and was obviously some sort of security patrol, but none of them wore armour or carried shields.  The woman at the head of the party prodded her horse toward Jack, and it took him a second to recognize her. 

“Lady Lisa,” he greeted, not able to keep the surprise from his voice. 

Lady Lisa Hallet appeared very different from the confident Knight he’d last seen.  Her shoulders were slumped, and the skin around her eyes was pinched and shadowed.  She looked exhausted in her civilian tunic and trousers, her hair pulled back from her face in a sloppy tail. 

“Captain Harkness,” she said in return.  “I was hoping we would catch up to you.  His Grace the Baron has asked us to keep an eye out, knowing you were on your way.”

“What happened?” he couldn’t help but ask.  His fear for his lover, which had subsided a bit since he’d heard that Ianto was all right, returned with a vengeance.

“Let me escort you to the Baron, and I’ll explain on the way.”  She turned to her fellow Knights – that was what they were, despite not wearing the trappings of their rank – and spoke to them quietly.  The man on her right nodded, and together both men rode around the group in the road, continuing on what had to have been a patrol. 

Jack lined his mount beside hers as she headed back toward Cardiff, the rest of his team gathering around to hear her story.  Lady Lisa was quiet for a few moments, and Jack realised that she was gathering her thoughts, so he let her do it in peace.

“The first sign we had that anything was wrong was when all the water was pulled out of the bay,” the Knight began, her voice low in the gathering dark.  “The older seamen knew what it meant, and raised the alarm.”

Jack shivered.   He knew exactly what had occurred, simply from that first sentence, even though he had never seen the phenomena before.  “How big was the wave?” he asked, just almost silently.  There was something in him that didn’t want to disturb the hush of her words, to break whatever peace had settled over the tents they were passing. 

“It…” she swallowed hard.  “It crested over the walls of the castle.”

Dread pooled in Jack’s belly.  The walls of Torchwood Castle were twenty-five feet high…

“Wait a second,” Owen cut in, “are you saying that a massive wave hit the town?”

Lady Lisa nodded jerkily.  She seemed to fold into herself, and Jack saw Toshiko reach over and touch the Knight’s shoulder in an effort to comfort her.  She nodded to the Elf in gratitude.  “Most of the lower town is…gone.  Swept back out to sea when the wave receded.  Any vessel that had been in port was wrecked when the bay emptied just prior to the wave.”  She shivered.  “You could see it; coming toward us like a curtain…its sheer size was inconceivable.  The alarm bells got people moving to safety, but it was too little, too late…” 

Jack could see her shaking.  “Take your time,” he tried to calm her, but he really didn’t know how.  The quiver in her voice broadcasted her horror to everyone, and it was so very out of character for her to sound so small.  But Jack could very well imagine what had gone on as the people tried to evacuate…the panic, the terror…knowing that death was coming toward them…how many had died? 

Lady Lisa drew in an unsteady breath.  “It was Master Ianto, you know…he saved as many as he could, him and Lord Charles.  Of course, no one knew until afterward what had happened, but when it came out…they’re heroes, both of them.”

“What did they do?”  While Jack didn’t know who this Lord Charles was, he felt a rush of pride that his Ianto had managed to save lives under such dire circumstances.

“Lord Charles…he has mind magic.  He used it to calm people down just enough, so that they stopped panicking and kept the evacuation orderly.  Master Ianto used his own magic to somehow…shield everyone he could from the water.  He said he’d wanted to shield the entire town, but wasn’t strong enough…so he used his power on people instead.  So many would have been lost if he hadn’t been there…I can’t imagine how things would have gone if those two had been somewhere else when the wave hit.  They couldn’t save them all, but it could have been so much worse.”

“Bloody hells,” Owen swore.  “I knew Wizard Boy was powerful, but this…”  The sheer awe in the battle surgeon’s voice echoed what Jack was feeling.

“They should be rewarded for this,” River spoke up.  Jack knew her well enough by now to realise that she’d be speaking to her parents about some sort of a reward.  Ianto would hate it, but Jack was well aware that Their Majesties took such heroics seriously. 

“The town is decimated,” Lady Lisa went on.  “But the loss of life was minimal compared to what it could have been.”

“What about Andy?” Suzie asked.  “Is he all right?”

Jack wanted to kick himself for not asking about Master Andy.  It should have been one of the first things he did when they’d met Lady Lisa.  But he’d been so worried about Cardiff and Ianto that it hadn’t crossed his mind to do so.

Lady Lisa snorted a laugh.  “He’s fine.  Silly sod broke his leg while trying to climb the stairs to the upper levels of the castle, but other than that he’s all right.  We’re…going to postpone the wedding until things in Cardiff are a bit back to normal.”

“You said the wave crested the castle wall,” Jack said.  “Did it cause much damage?”

The Knight nodded.  “There are still sections of the lower castle that are flooded.  If it hadn’t been for Master John and his dragon, those people who’d taken refuge in the Archives would still be trapped.  Her Grace is being a bit bad-tempered, since she’s been put on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy, so the Baron is directing rescue efforts.  That’s where Master Ianto will be; he and Lord Charles have been invaluable in finding anyone still alive, and with Master John and the other Wizards that came with him we’re hoping to find everyone living within days.”

Jack wondered who Daffyd had sent to aid in the recovery.  Most of the Wizards were still very young, and wouldn’t graduate from the school for a while yet.  But they certainly had enough training to help out. 

Then he cursed silently.  “What about Ianto’s family?  Did they escape?”  David was a student at the Wizard school, but Rhiannon, Mica, and Johnny would have been at home…

Lady Lisa nodded.  “They’re fine.  Master Johnny had gone missing for several hours, but he was found with another group of refugees.”  Then she laughed.  “The last time I saw Master Ianto, Mistress Rhiannon was fussing over him, trying to get him to eat and rest.  She’s…very protective of her brother.”

Jack joined in with her laughter.  “You have no idea, my lady.”

They continued riding toward Cardiff.  The number of tents grew, until they were almost too thick to navigate around.  Jack was glad that they’d kept the road clear, because they would never have been able to advance very far if they’d blocked it off.  Jack’s excitement at getting closer to Ianto kept growing, until he was fidgeting in the saddle.  While he trusted Lady Lisa’s word that Ianto was fine, he needed to see his lover in person to really accept it.  Jack’s emotions had been swinging like some sort of internal pendulum ever since his speaking stone had gone off in Haven, and only having Ianto within his sight once more would settle that pendulum down.

The tents started to thin out once more, and in the gap between several of them was one larger and more ornate than the others.  Cardiff’s standard was flying from a pole outside the tent, and armed Knights were stationed outside the entrance.  Other Knights milled about the area, and Jack found his group under intense scrutiny as they approached.  It was most likely only Lady Lisa’s presence that was keeping the Knights from stopping them from getting any closer.

Jack pulled his horse to a halt, and he dismounted, followed by Lady Lisa and the rest of his team.    Light spilled from the partially open flap of the tent, and the mercenary made a beeline for it, knowing that Ianto was within, that his lover was on the other side of that draped canvas.  The two Knights stepped aside and let him pass.

The inside of the tent was well-appointed, with scavenged furniture dotted about the space and a large table taking up most of the area.  There were five men in the tent, but Jack only had eyes for one of them.

Ianto looked pale and a bit rough around the edges, but Jack didn’t think he’d seen anyone so beautiful in his entire life. 

Jack ignored everyone else and moved toward Ianto, grabbing his lover and pulling him into a fierce embrace.  Ianto returned it just as fiercely, and Jack buried his face against his Wizard’s neck, breathing his lover in and grounding himself in the man he loved more than anyone else in the world.   “Thank the Gods you’re all right,” he murmured into Ianto’s skin, not wanting to let go.  He could feel the magic that bound Wizard and Deathless together weaving around them, the Deep Ways tingling just underneath his skin.

“I’m fine, Jack,” Ianto reassured him, pressing a kiss against Jack’s jaw. 

The mercenary pulled back to get a good look at his Wizard.  Ianto was obviously tired from the lines around his eyes, and sadness darkened his blue eyes.  His clothing was rumpled as if he’d slept in them…which he probably had.  “I’m all right,” Ianto reiterated.

Jack was going to hug him once more when a solid weight slammed into his legs. He glanced down to see Myfanwy staring up at him, her green eyes brimming with happiness.  He could sense a little of her emotions; he wasn’t like Ianto who had such a strong bond with her, but he was attached to the dragon in ways others could never be. 

He reached down and scratched behind her crest, and Myfanwy practically purred in joy.  “I missed you too, lady.”

“Welcome, Jack,” Rhys Williams, the Baron of Cardiff, greeted him, his voice tinged with humour. 

Jack turned to regard the Baron.  He’d not always gotten along with Rhys, but he did respect the man a great deal.  “Your Grace,” he answered, bowing slightly.  Now he took in the group that had been around the table when he’d entered.

Besides Baron Rhys and Ianto, there were three others, two he recognized.  One was Master John Smith, the Wizard formerly known as the Doctor, the man who’d been Jack’s friend back before he’d even become Jack Harkness.  He was also the man who’d abandoned him in Gateway after Lady Rose had accidentally made him Deathless, and while there was still a bit of rancorous feelings about that and how Master John had treated him after they’d met again three years ago, Jack trusted him to help in whatever way he could.  Life was precious to Master John, and Jack knew he would do everything in his power to save anyone lost to the disaster that had befallen Cardiff.

The second man was Lord Sir Hallet, the Commander of the Knights in Cardiff, and Lady Lisa’s father.  He was a taller, older man, who looked odd without the armour that Jack had always seen him in up until that moment.  He appeared as exhausted as Ianto, Master John, and Baron Rhys did, and that wasn’t at all surprising after everything that had occurred in the last two days.

The last man was a stranger.  He was about Ianto’s age, almost pretty with a young face and dark hair.  His blue eyes were as tired as the others, and he was also as dishevelled.  A small silver dragon was draped around his neck, and Jack had to assume this was the mysterious Lord Charles he’d heard about.

Ianto took the time to introduce them, and Lord Charles’ eyes lit up.  “It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” he enthused, despite his obvious exhaustion.  “I’ve heard quite a bit about you, and I have so many questions –“

“Maybe later,” Ianto interrupted the other Wizard smoothly, and Lord Charles didn’t seem to take offence by it at all.  “Right now, Jack has to get caught up.”  He turned to regard Jack.  “I take it the rest of the team is outside?”

Jack nodded.  “Suzie’s also with me…as is John Hart.”

The expression on Ianto’s face told him how he felt about _that_ bit of news.  “Why don’t we get the team settled in, and then continue this after dinner?”

“Actually,” Baron Rhys said, “I was thinking that we could table this for now, and let us all make an early night of it?  We’ll meet back here at the breakfast hour, and go through our plans for tomorrow then.”

“I should really check in with Baron Daffyd,” Master John put in.  “Let him know that Jack and his people are here, and give him a list of everything else we’ll need.”

“Will you be teleporting back to Gateway?” Ianto asked.

Master John nodded.   “I also want to see if Idris has Seen anything else.”

Jack was confused.  “Wait a moment…I think I’m a bit behind here.  Idris had a vision?”  He was familiar with the woman, but he’d never actually met her.

Ianto rested a hand on Jack’s arm.  “I’ll explain everything over dinner.” He looked at Lord Charles.  “Charles, would you care to join us?  You can meet the team.”

The other Wizard grinned tiredly.  “That sounds ideal, although I don’t know how good I’ll be as company, since I feel like I might fall asleep the moment I sit down.”

“That’s fine,” Jack said.  “I can pretty much guarantee the rest of the team feels the same way.”

“Then why don’t you show Jack and the others to the tents I’ve had set up for them?” Rhys suggested.   “I’m off to see Gwen, and make certain she hasn’t taken the hide off her maid.”  He shook his head.   “Being pregnant is bad enough.  Now she has the mood swings and doctor’s orders to stay in bed.  She’s not at all happy at the moment, what with everything that’s been going on.”

“I can imagine.”  Jack had known Baroness Gwen for a long while, and knew that she had a hands’ on approach that would have been defeated by having to be on bed rest. 

“Well, goodnight gentlemen,” the Baron said.  “I’ll see you all back here in the morning.”

Jack waited until Baron Rhys had departed, and then he tugged Ianto out of the tent.  He wanted more than anything to get his lover alone, but knew that would have to wait.

The least he could do was not let Ianto out of sight until he absolutely had to.

**  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Ianto had been so very glad to see Jack when he’d entered the tent.

He’d known that his lover was on his way from Haven, but he hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly.  The team must have nearly run their horses into the ground to have gotten there as fast as they had.  And Ianto was nearly pitifully grateful for it.

After a few pleasantries, the Baron dismissed them, and Jack wasted no time in snagging Ianto by the wrist and pulling him from the tent.  The Wizard was glad to be out in the open air, even though the atmosphere was heavy with moisture.  The humidity since the wave had crashed into Cardiff had been very high, and closer to the bay it was so thick there were times when it was hard to breathe.  However, this far away it was only as if there was a storm brewing, and it was tolerable, even though it pressed into the head and lungs like a wet blanket at times.

The team was waiting outside the tent, and Ianto couldn’t help but smile even if the expression was a bit tired.  Lady Lisa touched his arm and returned the smile.  “Take care of yourself, Ianto,” she murmured.

“You too,” he returned.  “And make certain that man of yours doesn’t do himself any other injury.”

She snorted.  “Easier said than done, I think.”  She nodded to the rest of the team.  “Good night, all of you.”  With that, she took her leave, leading her horse away.

“You’re on a first-name basis now?” Jack asked, surprised. 

Ianto couldn’t blame him; for a long time he and Lady Lisa had barely been on speaking terms over what had occurred between them.  “She’s changed quite a lot, and we’ve come to an understanding.”  In fact, she was more like the young woman he’d first known when he’d come to Cardiff as an apprentice, before shed taken her spurs.  He knew he had to thank Andy for that.

“That’s good,” Suzie said.  “Lady Lisa is a good person…she merely has an overinflated sense of honour.  I’m glad to see that she seems to be unbending a little, even though it’s under these circumstances.”

Ianto nodded, and then began introducing Charles to the team.  Despite the man’s own exhaustion, he was enthusiastic during the introductions, especially when he got to Toshiko; he bowed over her hand, kissing it gallantly and commenting about how excited he was to meet an Elf.  Tommy didn’t act overly thrilled about the effusiveness of the greeting, jealousy was something that didn’t look good on the young man, and it faded a bit when Charles was just as happy about meeting Suzie.

The introduction to John Hart was far less friendly.  Ianto couldn’t figure out why the mercenary was there, or why Jack had let him tag along, but at this point they needed all the help they could get in Cardiff.  He was willing to give Hart the benefit of the doubt…until he proved himself to be the bastard that had killed Jack and had kidnapped Ianto himself.  Myfanwy simply hissed at him, and it was all Ianto could do not to laugh at Hart’s cringe.

“The Baron had a camp set up for us just this way,” Ianto said, once the introductions were complete.  He took the lead, Jack beside him and still clutching his wrist, heading around the Baronial tent and into an open area beyond it.  There were a couple of Knights patrolling there, and they nodded to Ianto and Charles and the team as they passed.  The Wizard returned the silent greeting. 

Ianto had thought he was well-known before, but now, with everything that had taken place in the last couple of days, it was even worse.  It had gotten around quickly how he and Charles had tried to save as many as they could, in those horrible minutes before the tidal wave had struck, and everyone now considered them heroes. 

Ianto didn’t want to be a hero.  He just wanted to be himself, and to spend forever with Jack.

The four tents had been set up in a semicircle around a fire pit ready for lighting.  The team hobbled their horses near the tents, while with a flick of his wrist Ianto started the blaze going.  “His Grace also left some supplies in the tents,” he said as the team gathered their belongings from their mounts. 

“Thank Gods we don’t have to set this up ourselves,” Tommy sighed, setting  his pack down and then practically collapsing onto the ground with his back against one of the logs that had been conveniently pulled up around the open area in front of the tents.  “We busted arse to get here.”

“I’m glad you’re all here,” Ianto admitted.  He sat down as well, but was shifted from his position when Jack chivvied him up just enough to slip in behind him.  His lover wrapped his arm around Ianto, pulling him back against his chest, spreading his legs so that Ianto fit between them.   “It’s been…Gods, I can’t even describe it.”

“What the hells happened, Wizard Boy?”  Owen asked, taking a seat nearby, using his pack as a backrest.  “Lady Lisa said something about a wave…”

The rest of the team made themselves comfortable around the fire, and Ianto met each and every eye.  His gaze finally settled on Charles, where the other Wizard was leaning up against one of the other logs, his legs outstretched.  His newest friend nodded slightly, and Ianto knew he was silently being told that it would be best if Ianto started the story.

Ianto sighed.  He could still see it; the monstrous wall of water ploughing toward Cardiff, and he could still taste the overabundance of salt on his tongue and feel the sheer terror that had coursed through him when he’d realised there was no escape.  “It was,” he answered.  “We’d gotten some warning, but it wasn’t nearly enough…”

Jack’s arms tightened around him.  “But you managed to save so many of the people.”

“But it wasn’t enough,” the Wizard shook his head.  “So many still died.”

“It wasn’t anything that either of us could stop,” Charles chided lightly.  “I was in their minds, and the majority of those who lost their lives flatly refused to leave their homes.  They could see the danger, but thought it wouldn’t affect them that badly.”

Ianto knew that; of course he did.  But it was still a bitter pill to swallow, that he couldn’t shield the entire town.  “I figured that, if Daffyd was so certain I was the most powerful Wizard of the age he thought I was, then I could have done more to save Cardiff.”

“You saved lives,” Jack said quietly.  “Property isn’t important.  Houses can always be rebuilt.  But it’s the people who were important, and from what Lady Lisa said you were a hero.  You both were.”  Ianto felt him nod, and from Charles’ slight blush Ianto knew that Jack had indicated the other Wizard as well.  “And you can’t save everyone, Ianto.  There are those who just flatly refuse to be saved.”

“Jack’s right,” Hart agreed.  The mercenary had taken a place farthest away from the others, and he looked slightly uncomfortable, as if he couldn’t believe he was there.  Ianto knew he’d have to ask Jack about it later, but he’d do it in private.  “Those who didn’t at least try to evacuate were idiots.”  He shrugged.  “People that stupid shouldn’t be allowed to breed anyway.”

“You really are an arse,” Suzie snapped.

“Hey, I only call ‘em as I see ‘em, gorgeous.”

It was put crudely, but Ianto couldn’t help to be just a bit comforted by Hart’s words…and then was promptly disgusted with himself over it.  Well, over most of it.  He did have a point in agreeing with Jack.

“You both did good, Ianto,” Toshiko said.  She’d taken the seat next to Tommy, who murmured his own agreement.  “It could have been so much worse.”

“Chances are, it was.”  Ianto rubbed his eyes tiredly.  He went on to explain what had taken him to Torchwood Castle in the first place, and what he and Charles had found.  “It’s a safe bet that this Kingdom of Magic reappearing is what caused the wave.”

“How do you know that?” River asked.

“When Master John teleported to Cardiff after the disaster,” Ianto answered, “he gave us the rest of the prophecy that Idris had.  She said that the Lost Kingdom would rise again, and death would come before it like the tide.  She also said something about water, and that people were going to die.” 

Everyone was silent for a moment, taking in what Ianto had said.  Jack finally spoke.  “If this map you found was correct, and that a large island had once been where you say it was…Gods, the devastation…” His voice was hushed with obvious horror.

“The reappearance of an island like that would have displaced so much water,” Martha gasped. 

“It wouldn’t have affected only us,” Ianto finished.  “Every country bordering the ocean would have felt it.  Albion…the Western Lands… parts of the Eastern Empire…Esplanade…there are too many countries that will have been hit by that massive wave.”

“Cardiff was bloody lucky,” Owen swore.  “There are going to be smaller fishing villages on the coast that will have been completely destroyed.”

Charles nodded.  “From what Master John said, Their Majesties are already planning relief efforts.”  He sounded almost ill, and Ianto had to admit that he’d been worried about the man ever since the true extent of the damage had been estimated.  “He also said that reports are already coming in.”

“Yes,” Ianto confirmed.  “Newport was hit hard, but Owen is right: there are so many tiny villages that we just don’t know about.  Their Majesties are going to deploy the fleet in rescue and protection detail.  There’s…a real chance that raiders could take advantage of what happened and strike the coast.”

“They’re right,” Hart said.  “You know, Jack…the Corsairs and the 456 are the two that come to mind.”

Ianto felt his lover shiver against his back.  “Especially the 456…at least the Corsairs are only after riches.  The 456 raid for slaves.”

The Wizard had heard rumours of the Corsairs, but the 456 were new to him, and he asked about them curiously.

“They haven’t hit the United Kingdom in at least forty-five years,” Jack replied.  “The fleet has managed to protect the Kingdom’s coast against them.  Still, they are a problem from what I understand.”

Hart nodded sharply.  “I heard of them striking isolated villages in the Western Lands, and just recently, too.  So yeah, they’re still active.”

“We can only hope they’re too busy with their own problems because of the wave and don’t have the inclination to go raiding,” Jack said.

 “How many have died so far?”  Toshiko asked softly. 

“We don’t have an accurate count yet,” Ianto answered, “but we’re estimating at least two hundred.”  It was too many in his mind; however the others were right…Ianto had done all he could.  He needed to quit thinking that he’d failed when he really hadn’t.

“And your family is all right?” River asked.  The Davies’ had pretty much adopted every member of Jack’s team, and River had gotten along particularly well with Johnny.  They both had an irreverent sense of humour and loved sport, and would get into arguments over the merits of the Cardiff teams versus the London ones.

“They’re all fine,” the Wizard reassured her.  “Johnny had been at work when the bells had gone off, so he had been separated from Rhiannon and Mica for a while, but they’re reunited now.”  He chuckled.  “Johnny’s quite a hero in his own right.  He’d been hauling goods to one of the outlying warehouses and when he’d heard the bells he’d been just down the road from one of the smaller schools.  He’d decided that the children were more important than the goods he was carrying and managed to get all them into his wagon in time.  He rescued twenty-two kids plus three teachers.” He was inordinately proud of his brother-in-law, and couldn’t help but grin as he talked about Johnny’s exploits.

Then the grin vanished.  “We’ve managed to locate the parents of all but six of the children, and one of them – an eight year-old girl – began manifesting magic because of the stress of the situation.  Rhiannon brought it to Baron Rhys’ attention, and there are already documents made up that, if her parents are gone, then she becomes Daffyd’s ward and will be sent on to the school.  It would be the best thing for her in this situation.  The other children…well, you all know my sister…”

Jack laughed.  “She’s already adopted them, hasn’t she?”

“Pretty much, yes.  Baron Rhys has agreed to let her keep them for the time being, and if no parents or guardians can be found then he has no problem making them Baronial wards and letting Rhiannon and Johnny take care of them.  Mica’s over the moons about the idea of having siblings.”

“Are you sure your sister isn’t related to the Earth Goddess?” Owen joked.  “She’s got that motherly vibe about her.”

Ianto had to laugh too.  “I do wonder sometimes.”  Rhiannon was one of those people who had boundless love for those who needed it, and was always willing to take on more family.  Johnny would just roll his eyes and go along with her.  “She and some of the ladies of the court have taken over looking after any misplaced children that have come into the tents, and their success rate of finding parents has been phenomenal.”  He sighed.  “The wave struck while school-age kids were away from home, so it’s been a monumental task.”  He was also proud of Rhiannon, for stepping in with the children.  It was as if she’d been called to the task.

He suddenly yawned so widely his jaw actually cracked.  He glanced over at Charles, who didn’t look much better.  The rest of the team was just as exhausted, and he yawned again, which seemed to cause a cascade of yawning from his friends.  

“I don’t know about anyone else,” Martha said, rising to her feet, “but I’m about done in.  I’m even too tired to eat dinner.”

“Yeah,” Jack agreed.   “Let’s get the sleeping arrangements decided on, and then head to bed.  We’re going to have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“Looks like the dragons have already beat us to it,” Suzie chuckled, jerking her head toward all three dragons where they lay together in a pile next to the fire, with tiny Cerebro on top, his silver scales catching the firelight.

Ianto laughed.  “I think the dragon puddle will be fine until morning.”  He stood up, and Jack clambered after him, his lover resting an arm around Ianto’s waist.  “At least Myfanwy won’t be taking up most of the bedroll tonight.”

They quickly got themselves settled – with Owen complaining that he had to share a tent with two other blokes, until Suzie pointed out that she would be sharing with Martha and River, leaving the two established couples of the team with tents of their own.  Ianto was about dead on his feet, and he couldn’t help but be thankful that he and Jack could be alone.  Not to have sex, because he was far too tired for that, but he desperately needed some time with his lover after everything that had occurred in the last two days.

He and Jack had to shift some of the supplies that the Baron’s men had left inside their chosen tent, but they made fast work of it, finally managing to lie down.  Ianto wrapped around Jack like an octopus, not wanting to ever let go.

“I was so worried about you,” Jack murmured, stroking Ianto’s hair.  “When I didn’t hear from you…”

“I’m sorry about that,” Ianto whispered.  “I didn’t have time to get more of a message out, and then Charles and I had to concentrate on saving who we could…I dropped my speaking stone.  It must still be on top of the tower…”

“Master John reported that you were fine, but I needed to see it for myself…”  Jack’s arm tightened around him, and Ianto couldn’t help but burrow further into his lover’s warmth.  “Thank the Gods you’re all right.  I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to you.”

“I’m fine.”  He raised his head enough to press a kiss onto the corner of Jack’s mouth.  “And I’m not going anywhere.”

That was a promise he fully intended to keep.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know how long it's been since I've posted anything on this, and I know there's at least two people out there who keep poking me about it (you know who you are, and I really do love you guys!) so there is still some interest. Anyway, this is a chapter I found on my computer (it somehow survived the hard drive crash I had last year about this time; I can't say the same for the notes I had written up for this story) so I thought I would go ahead and post it. I have no idea how quickly this will get updated (sorry about that!) but there's this damned dragon that insists I write his adventures NOW and won't leave me alone.
> 
> Also, I might just post this here for a bit, and we'll see what happens. 
> 
> So, here we go! Hope you like it. :)

 

**Chapter Eight**

 

“– and I’ve got the local merchants going over their inventories to see what they can spare for the relief efforts,” Donna was reporting amid a hovering cloud of tiny green dragons.  “We’ve also had quite a few volunteers come forward to offer their talents to help out, and I’ve made up a list of who they are and what they can do, so once we know what Cardiff and the other towns are gonna need, we can get teams set up quickly.”  She checked the small writing tablet she held.  “Oh, and there have been some people getting together to make things like clothes and socks and stuff.”

Daffyd nodded, very proud of how his people were coming together over this tragedy.  It had only been about two days, but already everyone was mobilizing to help out. 

Gateway was a new Barony, and it wasn’t very large as yet, but Daffyd had been able to use the cachet of having the only school for Wizards in the United Kingdom to build it into a relatively wealthy place.  He’d also been able to attract skilled workers to inhabit the main town, while building the school and the various outbuildings and houses and shops that made up the growing Barony.  In fact, building was still going on, with more and more people moving into the area and the school gaining more and more students every year. 

Once again, Daffyd was glad that Donna Noble was his assistant, even though the memories of how she’d once been still haunted him.  She’d been instrumental in getting the relief efforts up and running, coordinating the various people and materials so that everything would go smoothly once they received word of what would be needed.  It was a miracle in organization and he made a mental note to give her a large raise.

“Sounds fantastic,” he told her.  He absently stroked the single Ood dragon that had perched on his shoulder.  “I’ve heard from Their Majesties, and they’re going to be sending out patrols starting at early tide.  Once we know more, we can send people where they’re needed.  From what Master John and Master Ianto have said, Cardiff is a disaster.  And Cardiff had had two Wizards there to protect the people.  I can only imagine the devastation elsewhere.”

“Yeah, so can I.”  Donna closed her notebook, tucking her stylus into the sloppy tail she’d pulled her red hair into.  “Oh, I forgot…I’ve made arrangements in town for any refugees who might come our way.  We can fit about one hundred people in the various inns around town, plus we’ve had volunteers opening their homes to anyone who might need a place.  There are also empty rooms in the school itself, but I wasn’t certain who you’d want to distribute those to.”

Daffyd considered.  “Yes, open up the rooms.  Also, you can use the Baronial estate to house refugees as well.  I can stay here at the school.”  He’d had rooms here until his own house had been finished, and it only made sense to use those if extra space was needed.

Donna flipped open her book to make notes.  “Can do, boss.  Do you want me to arrange to have some of your things brought here?”

“That would be great, Donna.  Thanks.”

“No problem.”  She winked at him.  “I know how much you hate the estate, anyway.”

Daffyd rolled his eyes good-naturedly.  She was right; he really didn’t care for the estate, preferring to stay at the school when he could.  “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yeah, sure.”  She gave him one of her sunny smiles.  “Anyway, I’ll see to that and then get you all the lists as soon as they’re ready.”

“Sounds good.  That way I can let Their Majesties know at our next meeting.”  He’d also sent out all the information he could along the mirror network and the speaking stones, so that every Barony would know what to expect.  There were certain things he’d held back – like the existence of the prophecy.  King Rory had considered sharing that as well, but Queen Amelia had made a good point: that there would be a chance that it would cause a backlash against Wizards if it was generally known that there’d been foreknowledge of the disaster, even though there’d been no way to interpret Idris’ Seeing at the time.  Wizardry was still very new in the Kingdom, and no one wanted to risk anything setting back the growth of magic.

Daffyd didn’t want another Albion, not if he could absolutely avoid it.

Donna turned to leave, but Daffyd called her back.  “Can you let Master John in when he gets back?”

She smiled again.  “No problem.” 

She closed the office door behind her and her hive dragon, leaving Daffyd alone for possibly the first time that day.  He collapsed into his desk chair, letting out a tired breath.  A part of him felt guilty about not having been able to figure out Idris’ Seeing before this had all happened, but there really hadn’t been anything he could have done.  The visions had been too vague, and Idris too confused, to have made any sense at all until after the fact. 

He and Master John hadn’t told anyone the rest of the prophecy, except for Their Majesties.  Once again, there was some guilt at not sharing this with at least Master Ianto, who was onsite and dealing with consequences of the one part of the vision.  But what could he say?  There was no way to untangle the rest of the prophecy, and he doubted that Ianto would be of any help.  He’d be too distracted by what was going on in Cardiff to be able to concentrate on anything else.

All they could hope was that Idris would See something else, something that would give them a clue as to what was going to occur next.  Daffyd hoped she would, because they couldn’t go on simply reacting to whatever was going on around them.

“You look tired.”

Daffyd turned to regard Jack, his glowing form shimmering into existence in the corner of the office.  “I am,” he admitted, wishing he could get a hug from him lost lover.  “And I’m afraid it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

Jack grimaced.  “I wish I could help, but I can’t access the Deep Ways, not like the Avatar can.  And she’s not around.  I’ve looked for her, and I haven’t had any luck.  It’s as if she’s disappeared.”

Now, that was a surprise.  As far as Daffyd was aware, the Avatar was inextricably linked to Gateway, and there was no way she could leave.  The Avatar herself was made up of sentient magic, part of the Deep Ways that had been affected when Lady Rose Tyler had taken all that power into herself in order to save the old Gateway from the Nameless Demons that had descended onto the town, over a thousand years ago.  If the Avatar was gone…

Daffyd shivered.  “If something has affected the Avatar, then we have to assume that this Lost Kingdom has done something to the balance of the Deep Ways.”  He met Jack’s eyes.  “I hate to ask this, but why hasn’t anything happened to you?”

Jack shrugged.  “I don’t know.  Maybe I don’t have enough of the magic in me?  Or maybe I have too much?  Your guess is as good as mine.”

“I’m glad nothing happened to you.”

“Me, too.  I wouldn’t want to leave you alone.”

Daffyd chewed his lip thoughtfully.  “If something is happening with the Deep Ways, I would have thought that Ianto might have sensed it, since he has the strongest link to it.”

“Yeah, his Jack too.  They both rely on it for their immortality…much like we used to.”

“But I’ve learned that this Jack isn’t as sensitive as you are…were.”

“That’s only because he hasn’t had the training that I was given by your family.  He’s had to learn on his own.  His Ianto is helping him, but there’s a lot he needs to catch up on.”

Daffyd had to agree.  “Still, Ianto would have said if he’d felt something going on with the Deep Ways.” 

Jack was kept from saying anything by the sudden appearance of Master John.  The Great Wizard came in without announcement, and Jack’s Deep Ways shade vanished quickly.  Daffyd knew he didn’t want to be seen by anyone, and he couldn’t actually blame him. 

“Master John,” Daffyd greeted the other Wizard, who plopped down into the chair opposite the desk, not waiting for an invitation. 

“It’s bad,” Master John said without preamble.  “I’m going to be having nightmares about Cardiff.  Thank Gods I haven’t seen any of the other destruction; I doubt I’d be able to sleep at all.”

“Thanks for taking over onsite,” Daffyd said sincerely.  “You and Tardis are uniquely qualified for the job.”

“It makes me wish Tardis could still travel in time,” the older Wizard replied.  “I’d give anything to be able to go back and warn them of what was coming.”

“Would they believe you, though?” Daffyd pointed out.  When Master John had decided to settle in Gateway and become a teacher, he’d dismissed the time travel spell that he’d enchanted his dragon with.  Now, Tardis could only teleport.

“Might have done.  If I’d approached it the right way.”  He raked a hand through his already messy hair.  “But, even though it would have saved lives, I’ve learned my lesson about changing history.  I’m never going to put myself in the position to do it again.”

Daffyd was glad to hear that.  Master John had already mucked about with time once, preventing a terrible war between Wizards that had destroyed the world.  That meddling had had consequences, blocking off most of the magic and ending the lines of Wizards for almost eight hundred years.  It had also led to the creation of Daffyd’s own timeline by the mad Void Wizard, Harold Saxon, and Master John had had to change things again, erasing Daffyd’s entire life in the process.

“Can you give me a report?”

Master John nodded, but before he could start Donna bustled in with a tray.  She sat it down on a clear section of desk, and Daffyd heard his stomach rumble at the sight of the sandwiches on it.

“Bless you, Mistress Donna,” Master John sighed, reaching for a sandwich and one of the cups of tea.  “You are a saint among women.”

Donna rolled her eyes.  “Yeah well, remember that when I get on you about grading your students’ tests, all right?”  She gave them both her patented Donna Noble glare.  “I don’t want either of you staying up too late tonight.  There’s a lot to do tomorrow and you both need your beauty sleep.”

“Yes, Mum,” Daffyd joked.

“I mean it, boss.  I don’t wanna have to take care of your sorry arse when you collapse from exhaustion.”

“Don’t worry,” Master John assured her.  “I just want to give my report and then I’m off to bed.  I’m knackered.”

“All right, I’ll trust you.”  She collected all her dragons – excluding the one that seemed to have taken up residence on Daffyd’s desk – and, bidding the two Wizards goodnight, she left them alone, closing the door behind her.

“That woman is a force of nature,” Master John said around a mouthful of sandwich.

“Don’t I know it!”

Master John swallowed his bite, and then became serious once more.  “We’re going to have our work cut out for us, in rebuilding.  Cardiff is pretty much uninhabitable.”

“We’ll make certain to get some more supplies and tents to the area,” Daffyd said.  “Also, let Baron Rhys know that there’s space here for some of the refugees.”

“I will.”  Master John sipped his tea.  “Jack and his team arrived as I was leaving.”

“Good.  That’ll give the Baron some people who can take over things for him.  I know he’s worried about Baroness Gwen.”  He hadn’t been aware that Baroness Gwen was pregnant until after the wave had hit the town.

“He is, but she’s going to be fine according to the midwife looking after her.  She’s on bed rest, but everything should be all right as long as she follows medical advice.” 

There was something in Master John’s face that Daffyd didn’t like, and he questioned the man on it.

“It’s just that,” he inhaled sharply.  “I think I know the answer to another part of Idris’ Seeing.”

“But that should be good news.  Shouldn’t it?”

“I think so, yeah.” 

“Care to explain?”

Master John put the remainder of his sandwich down.  “I think that Lord Charles is the One that brings silver in the prophecy.”

Daffyd frowned.  “Are you certain?”

“No, not really.” The Wizard sounded frustrated.  “But he’s involved, and he has a silver dragon…I don’t know, I might be wrong, but my instincts are telling me that he’s the one.  He was, after all, in Cardiff at the time of the disaster.”

“But, according to Idris, we can trust him.”

“Yes, he can be trusted.  And he’s been invaluable in the relief efforts in Cardiff.  Plus, Master Ianto likes him.  They’ve become good friends in the short time they’ve known each other.  And maybe I’m barking up the wrong tree, and Idris’ visions aren’t related…”

Daffyd shook his head.  “No, I think they are.  I think the coming of this so-called Lost Kingdom is the catalyst, and everything that happens in the prophecy happens because of its rising.  I’m going to suggest to Their Majesties that they send a ship out to investigate.  Master Ianto said something about finding some proof of the kingdom’s existence?”

“Yes, he did.”  Master John stood, wrestling what looked like a scroll tube from an inside pocket.  “He doesn’t know I took this out of the Archives.  I think he’d stab me with my own wand if he knew.”

“I won’t tell him,” Daffyd assured him, snorting.  Ianto might not have been Torchwood Castle’s Archivist any longer, but he took the handling of delicate documents very seriously.   He doubted Master John was far wrong in his estimation of what the Wizard would do to him if he ever found out something had been removed.

Of course, Daffyd felt the same way, from his own time.  Torchwood Castle had been his home, and its Archives had been under his control.

He cringed as Master John gently tugged a rolled scroll from the tube with his bare fingers.  Daffyd could, however, practically see the Preservation and Protection spells on the aged paper as the other Wizard spread the ancient map out on Daffyd’s desk.  “He said this was about three thousand years old.”

Daffyd’s finger hovered over the curved mass of land that didn’t appear on any contemporary maps, the word ‘Genosha’ nearly faded into obscurity on the paper.  “This must be it.”

“You can see why we’re all certain that it’s not just us who would have been affected by it reappearing.”

“Gods, we could be talking hundreds of thousands of innocent people…”  It was inconceivable, the amount of death and destruction that this would have caused.

“Exactly.  As I said before…it’s bad.  Worse than anything we’ve ever seen before.”

“I think we need to check this out,” Daffyd declared.  “Now that we know where this place is, we need to know if it’s going to be any more of a threat to us.  I’m definitely going to suggest that Their Majesties send someone to investigate, and hopefully the destruction the island caused has been unintentional.  If it wasn’t….”  He couldn’t finish the sentence. 

They had to hope that this so-called Kingdom of Magic was benevolent, because the last thing anyone needed was a fight on their hands. 

 

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter a lot sooner than I expected to post. Thanks to cjharknessgirl, who had beta'd chapters one through ten for me, and who happened to have the original beta'd document still saved, or else I would have had to re-write them completely, instead of copying from what she'd worked on. I really did scream when she told me. *grins*

 

**Chapter Nine**

Jack got his first look at Cardiff the next morning after breakfast.

It was worse than he’d thought.

Areas that weren’t still flooded were littered with rubble from the buildings that used to stand along the streets, which had obviously become rushing rivers in the aftermath of the wave.  Here and there structures were standing, but they looked delicate, as if a bare breath would complete the job that the flood had.  Broken trees stood like rotten teeth in what had once been parks and gardens, and the remains of once-seaworthy vessels had been tossed onshore like discarded toys.

Torchwood Castle was standing, but even from the rise overlooking the devastated town Jack could see miniature lakes created within its walls.  A sluggish stream dribbled from the broken gates, running down the main street toward the sea.  Parts of the walls appeared damaged, and only the Wizard’s Tower stood proud and strong, a beacon to a disaster-torn town.

The rest of the team stood around him, and their silence spoke louder than any curse words or exclamations of grief.  They had all been struck dumb by the view before them, and Jack found himself reaching out for Ianto’s hand.  His lover took it eagerly, squeezing a bit harder than was actually necessary but Jack didn’t care.

Ianto had survived this.  He’d gotten so many people to safety…and it wasn’t difficult to imagine just what the casualty count would have been if both Ianto and Lord Charles hadn’t been in the town at the time the wave had struck.  Jack couldn’t help but shiver.

Yes, he could very well have lost his lover in this.  Jack knew that Ianto would live a very long time, and his lover was practically immortal, but he wasn’t Deathless, not like Jack was.  Catastrophic wounds could very well take him from Jack before he was ready to lose him, and that might have happened here if Ianto hadn’t been as powerful as he was, or if Lord Charles hadn’t noticed something was wrong with his own magic.

A hand touched his shoulder.  Jack turned slightly to see Lord Charles standing beside him, a knowing look on his features.  Of course the Wizard would know what he was thinking about, with his mind magic, and Jack found that he didn’t care.

Lord Charles’ eyes brightened, and he nodded.  Jack nodded back, trusting the man to keep his secrets.  Ianto had vouched for him, and Jack believed him when he said that Lord Charles was a good man.  Besides, Myfanwy liked him, which was as good an endorsement as Jack could get.

“The medical tent is over there,” Ianto pointed toward a large area to the west, where a large pavilion had been set up.  The place was bustling, people coming and going with almost frantic movements. 

“That’s where I need to be, then,” Owen said.  He started off toward the tent on foot; they’d left their horses behind, not wanting to accidentally trample anyone who might have been on the road.

“I’m going with Owen,” Toshiko said.  Jack knew she’d been taking some medic training, and understood her need to help with the injured. 

“Take care.”  Jack watched as she headed after the battle surgeon.   “Okay, that leaves the rest of us on rescue duty.”

They’d met with Baron Rhys that morning at breakfast, and Jack had a good picture of what was being done in the town.  He intended on breaking his team up into two groups: one to help with the gangs clearing the rubble, and the other to see if there were any more survivors under all the destruction.  Ianto would be with that team, as would Lord Charles and Suzie, with Tommy accompanying them. 

That left Jack, Martha, River, and Hart on clean-up.  Jack had wanted River to stay with the Baron, but she’d put her foot down, needing to help as much as she could.  Jack could understand her need, but was concerned that she might get hurt.  Yet she was old enough to make her own decisions, and if her parents demanded to know why the Royal Heir had been getting her hands dirty then Jack would be able to tell them that she’d wanted to aid her people, and that he’d done his best to protect her.

Besides, Their Majesties had been the ones to let her apprentice to a mercenary anyway.  They had to have known River wouldn’t shy away from danger.  In the year she’d been with the team, she’d gone from being Princess Melody to capable warrior River Song.  She’d truly come into her own.

The day was long, but Jack didn’t mind the back-breaking work.  His team had joined up with one led by his old friend, Master Mickey Smith, and the master smith had greeted Jack warmly before introducing him to the three apprentices that had been with him since they’d been children.  Together they managed to clear away the debris that had once been a couple of houses before a mental call had them all running toward a section further down the street, where Lord Charles was waving at them frantically.

“I can sense a mind under here,” he explained, pointing toward a ruined house.  Ianto and Suzie were already pulling rubble away with their magic, and Myfanwy and Pilgrim were picking up whole beams in their claws and lifting them away.  Cerebro was once again around Lord Charles’ neck, the small dragon’s red eyes whirling in distress.

Jack, Mickey, and their combined groups attacked the rubble fiercely, while Lord Charles directed them to where the mind he’d sensed was.  “She’s not very strong,” the Wizard said.  “We have to hurry.”

It took them about an hour to completely excavate the area, and to get down to where the survivor lay.  It was an older woman, her clothes torn and stained with blood.  Her eyes were open though, and she greeted her rescuers with a low groan.

“It’s all right,” Lord Charles tried to soothe her as the last of the debris was cleared away. 

“Let’s see if we can use some of these boards to make a stretcher,” Jack directed.  “We don’t know what sort of injuries we’re dealing with, so be careful.”

Together they worked to get the woman free and onto a makeshift stretcher.  The woman was in a great deal of pain; it looked as if her right leg was broken.  She also had at least a head injury, and possibly a chest wound if the blood on her clothes was any indication.  

“Mickey and I will carry her up to the medical tent,” Jack said.  “We’ll be back as soon as we get her settled.”

“We’ll keep looking,” Ianto replied.  He seemed tired, but the expression on his face was one of relief.  “Be careful.”

Jack took the front of the board they were using, while Mickey took the back, and they gingerly maneuvered the injured woman through the piles of rubble and toward help.  He couldn’t believe how glad he was to have found at least one survivor.  It gave him hope that they would find others.

It was actually Owen who came to meet them.  “That Charles guy sure would be handy to have around,” he commented as he led the two men toward an open bed.  He tapped his temple.  “He warned me you were coming.”

The medical tent was nearly full, the sounds of suffering echoing in Jack’s ears as they got the injured woman settled.  They were helped by one of the Wizard students, and Jack thought her name might have been Maria and that she hung out with Luke Smith.  Owen began giving her directions, and the girl did exactly as he bid her to. 

Owen bent over the bed to examine the woman, and Jack and Mickey turned to leave.  But the battle surgeon’s voice called them back.  “When’s the last time you took a break?” he asked.

Jack shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I’ve lost track.”

“Then doctor’s orders…I want both of your teams to rest for a bit and eat something.  I don’t want to have to come out there because you’ve passed out.”

“Yes sir,” Jack saluted smartly.

“None of that talking back, Harkness.  Just do as I say.  Oh, and make sure that the Wizards especially get something in them.  Using their magic means they burn up more calories than you all do.”

“I’ll make sure,” Jack vowed.

“Good.  Now get the hells out of the medical tent before I have you both thrown out.”

Jack and Mickey both did as Owen suggested.

 

**********

 

The sun was setting before the team was able to congregate back at their campsite.  Each and every one of them was tired, but it was the Wizards that appeared worse off.  Jack knew they’d worked hard today, trying to find more survivors, and they had actually managed to find two more before the Baron had his Knights call an end to the work day. 

It gave Jack a true perspective on how long it would take to get things completely cleaned up in the town before the rebuilding could begin.

Mickey joined them for dinner, but then left to take care of his own apprentices.  Master John also showed up, accompanied by the girl from the medical tent and two other young Wizards; Jack had known Luke Smith from three years prior, when the boy had been serving on-board the _Valiant_ as a cabin boy, but the others he’d only met a couple of times.  The girl’s name was indeed Maria, Maria Jackson, and she was a Great Wizard, while the other boy was Clyde Langer, a Void Wizard.  Ianto quietly prompted Jack on the three of them.  Apparently they were great friends, and were inseparable. 

There were bathing areas set up, and Jack was ready to be clean after all the work they’d done.  He’d gone into the bath feeling sweaty and grimy, and had come out smelling like a flowery soap that someone had stocked within. 

He ambled to the campsite, and the only one who had returned yet was Owen.  That was good, since Jack wanted to speak to him about something he’d been thinking about all day.  “Are the others still getting cleaned up?” he asked, sliding onto one of the logs and flexing his sore feet. 

“Yep,” the battle surgeon answered.  “We’ve been fed and bathed, so I’m willing to bet we’ll all be in our tents soon.  Fuck, even Hart’s snoring won’t keep me awake tonight.”

“Before anyone gets back, I do want to discuss something with you.”

Owen shrugged.  “Sure.  Just don’t expect much clarity out of me at the moment.”

“How do you feel about Lord Charles?  I know you said he’d be useful, but I want your honest opinion.”

His Second considered.  “Well, I’ve only known him for a day, but yeah, his magic is dead useful, and he seems a nice enough bloke.”

“Do you think you could work with him?”

“I don’t see why not.  You planning on asking him to join the team?  That’d make Wizard Boy happy.”

“Not exactly.”  Jack chewed his lip for a moment.  “While I haven’t heard anything about it yet, I’m willing to bet that Their Majesties will be planning on some sort of reconnaissance mission to this Lost Kingdom.”

“They’d be fools not to.  We have no idea why whoever they are on this island have decided to reappear now, after being gone for so long.  We can’t even know if their suddenly showing up again wasn’t some sort of first strike.  You know, soften us up for the bigger blow later.”

Not for the first time was Jack glad that he’d made Owen his Second after what had happened to Suzie.  Those had been the exact thoughts he’d been having while they’d been working today.  “And I’m also pretty certain they’ll ask the team to go with whoever they send.”

“Once again, they’d be stupid if they didn’t.  Having Wizard Boy on the scene might tip the balance in our favour.”

“Exactly.  However, I was thinking that I don’t want the entire team sailing into trouble.”

Comprehension blossomed on Owen’s sharp features.  “You’re planning on breaking up the team, then.”

“Yes.  And I want you to lead the second half of the team.”

The battle surgeon looked uncertain at that.  “I don’t know about that, Jack –“

“You’ve earned it, Owen.  You’re a good leader.  The team respects you and will follow your orders.  You’re more than ready.”

He looked like he wanted to argue.  “If you think so…”

“I know so.”  Jack leaned forward, his eyes meeting Owen’s.  “Of course, Ianto would be on my team.  But I was thinking that, if you could work with him, I’d offer Lord Charles the Wizard’s position on your team.  I’d offer it to Suzie, but I know she’ll be going back to the school when she can.”

Owen nodded slowly.  “All right, yeah, I’d take him on.  He’s more than proved himself over this mess.  But I’m not gonna call him lord anything, okay?”

Jack chuckled. “I’m sure you can come up with a nickname for him.”

“Too right.  Who else do you have in mind for my part of the team?”

“Martha and River.  I know River’s young, but she’s handy in a tight spot.  Besides, I doubt her parents would want her on that sort of mission anyway.  And Martha would be a good Second for you.”

“That gives you Toshiko and Tommy.”

Jack nodded.  “You know they won’t be separated, and I’d want Toshiko with me because she’s an Elf.  One more magically-based person on the team won’t hurt.”

“You’re right, of course.  Okay, this makes sense.”  Owen paused, scrutinizing Jack closely.  “And what about Hart?”

Jack snorted.  “He’s not on the team.  I don’t have any problem with you using him if you need him, but he won’t be joining.  I don’t trust him, even though he’s done nothing but help today.  If you feel you need someone else on the team, ask Master Mickey.  He’s trustworthy and a hard worker.  Of course, Mickey would only be temporary, but I’m sure he’ll help out as long as you want him to.”

“All right, Jack.  We’ll play it your way.  When are you gonna approach Lord Charles about joining?”

“Tomorrow, after we’ve all had some rest.  I don’t want him groggy when I make the offer, he might accept and then suddenly realise just why he shouldn’t say yes.”

“Good idea.  He needs to know what he’s getting himself into.” 

“Who needs to know what he’s getting himself into?”

Jack looked up and saw Ianto standing on the opposite side of the fire, Myfanwy leaning against his leg.  Both Wizard and dragon still looked dead on their feet, even after their bath. 

“Come and sit, and I’ll explain.”  Jack patted the log next to him, and Ianto took him up on the offer, the sigh he let out communicating his gratitude for the seat. 

He quickly explained what he’d been talking to Owen about, and when he was finished Ianto was nodding.  “It’s a good idea.  Charles is a hard worker and a powerful Wizard.  He does have secrets but you can trust him, Owen.”

“Well, who doesn’t have secrets?” the battle surgeon asked.  “I’d like to meet the person who doesn’t.  As long as they don’t get me killed, I don’t much care.”

“Then it’s settled,” Jack proclaimed.  “I’ll approach him tomorrow with the offer.  We’ll see if he takes us up on it.”

 

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Two weeks later, the _Valiant_ arrived at Cardiff Bay.

Because the docks had been severely damaged by the wave and were yet to be completely repaired, the United Kingdom’s flagship sat at anchor as close in as its pilot could get it, and boats had been let down in order to ferry people and supplies into the town.  They were able to tie up on the quay and disgorge their passengers, while sailors from the supply boats got busy with the unloading.

The first off the boats was an older, handsome man with curly dark hair and a ready smile despite the reason that the _Valiant_ was there.  He walked right up to Baron Rhys, offering his hand.  “Your Grace,” he greeted, bowing slightly.  “I’m sorry to be meeting under these circumstances.”

“Commodore Sullivan,” the Baron replied.  “Thank you for coming.  I’m aware that you know Captain Harkness and Master Ianto?”

Ianto was glad to see the Commodore again, and shook his hand warmly.  He’d last seen him during the debacle at Canary’s Wharf.  “Good to see you again, Sir.”

“And you, Master Ianto,” the Commodore replied.  “It always seems to be during a mess, doesn’t it?”

Ianto couldn’t disagree with that.

Jack took the Commodore’s hand next, a wary expression on his face.  The last time Jack had seen the sailor was when the Commodore had had him tossed off the _Valiant_ after Brigadier General Lethbridge-Stewart had declared Exclusivity in order to save Ianto, Suzie, and Daffyd from a Wizard-grab between the Baronies of Telos and Skaro. Ianto knew that Jack wasn’t about to forget it. 

The next man to greet him was the _Valiant_ ’s captain, Salazar Oduya.  He offered his hand with a very slight smile, and then turned to introduce the third person in the group:  a young man with dark hair, dressed in the armour and tabard of the Royal Knights.  “Allow me to introduce Sir Fitzgerald Kreiner.  He’s been assigned by Their Majesties to look over the situation here in Cardiff and report back to the King and Queen.”

Sir Fitzgerald nodded, smiling.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen…although I wish it were for different reasons.”  He turned to Rhys, bowing.  “Your Grace, Their Majesties have pledged as much aid to Cardiff as possible.  But, I have to tell you: from initial reports the entire southern and western coasts have been devastated by this wave.  Resources are going to be stretched thin until we can gather more supplies from the other Baronies…”

“I understand, Sir Fitzgerald,” Baron Rhys answered, standing proudly.  “We got off comparatively lucky compared to everyone else, and we’re doing better than I thought we would.  Come, let’s give you the tour.”

The Baron ushered them all forward, and Ianto fell into step with the Commodore, while Jack walked beside Captain Oduya.  Baron Rhys was correct; they really hadn’t suffered the losses that some of the towns along the coast had.  Newport itself had had about half its people either killed outright or swept into the bay when the water had receded, and some of those bodies had washed up in Cardiff bay.  So far in Cardiff, thirty-three people were still missing, and the death count had hit one hundred and eighty-two.  That number hadn’t changed in a week, and Ianto had hope that it wouldn’t get much higher.     

The town itself was damaged so badly that only rebuilding would bring it back to its former glory.  Yes, there were still some buildings standing, but most of those had been of stone construction and even then would need substantial repair.  The castle itself had finally been drained of water, and work had already begun inside, in hopes of making it habitable for a large part of the population to move into while their homes were being reconstructed. 

Some had already left Cardiff for Haven and other towns that were welcoming the refugees with open arms.  Ianto couldn’t help but be proud of his homeland, for everyone coming together in order to help those who needed it.  There were some hold-outs: the Baronies of Telos and Skaro being the most vocal in their dissuasion of the homeless settling in their lands.  But, on the whole, the entire Kingdom had stepped up and done what needed to be done.

“Master Ianto,” Sir Fitzgerald’s voice broke him out of his reverie.  “I’ve heard that you and another Wizard are the ones responsible for saving so many here in Cardiff.”

Ianto stepped up to walk beside the Knight.  “Lord Charles Xavier and I, yes.  We did the best we could.”

Sir Fitzgerald looked at him shrewdly.  “I get the impression that you wish you could have done more.”

“I won’t argue with that, Sir Fitzgerald.”

The Knight laughed.  “Please, if you must, it’s just Sir Fitz.  Fitzgerald is a mouthful, and I put the blame on my parents for saddling me with it.”

Ianto couldn’t help but smile at that.  “Sir Fitz, then.  And yes, I do wish we could have saved more.  But, over the last couple of weeks I’ve come to realise that there were just some people who didn’t want to be saved.”  It had taken each member of the team to finally convince him of that, although he did have Jack in particular to thank for the majority of the convincing.  Even Charles had begun to accept it, and Ianto knew his new friend had felt the same way.  He hadn’t needed Charles’ mind magic to see the guilt there, since it matched his very own.

“Their Majesties want to reward you both for your aid –“

Ianto shook his head.  “No, I know that neither of us wants anything.  Yes, we were able to save people here, but what about those towns and villages that didn’t happen to have Wizards there?  How do you explain how Cardiff managed to escape most of the death, simply because luck had us both here?  No, we were just in the right place at the right time.”

“That’s the way heroes are made, Master Ianto,” Sir Fitz answered quietly, an understanding smile on his handsome features.  “Someone being at the right place, at the right time.  In fact, your entire history seems to be following that premise, if you don’t mind me saying.”

Ianto opened his mouth to argue the point, but he realized he couldn’t.  Sir Fitz was right.  His whole life had been one circumstance after another, leading him here to this very moment.  Everything he’d done had been one more step toward the position he was in now: as the Wizard-at-Large of the United Kingdom, the one they all claimed was the most powerful magic-user of his age, even though he still didn’t quite believe it himself.  He was now functionally immortal, and bound to the Deathless forever.  If not for the steps he’d taken in life – or the steps that had been taken for him – he never would have met Jack. 

Sir Fitz’s words had just managed to put things into complete and utter perspective.

The Knight was watching him knowingly, even as Rhys was continuing the tour.  Ianto nodded once, and smiled, turning back to what was going on around him.

“You all right?” Jack murmured in his ear, touching his shoulder lightly.

“Yes, I am.”  Ianto clasped his lover’s hand tightly, then let go. 

The worst of the debris had been moved away from the main street, so that only bare lots lined the road.  They’d cleared this area first, hoping to get the docks back up and running in order to facilitate the movement of supplies into the town, and also to look for any bodies that might have been trapped under the rubble.  A couple of days after the disaster, most of the citizens of Cardiff had come back into the town to help with the clean-up, and it had gone remarkably quickly.  With Charles’ mental abilities they’d managed to find any lost survivors within those first days, and now it was just down to locating bodies for cremation. 

Most of the water had drained away, although there were still standing puddles and a couple of low-lying places that had become ponds or small lakes.  The Baron pointed out that they were trying to dry those out, to avoid forming areas where insects could breed.  The last thing Cardiff needed was any sort of illness spreading throughout the townsfolk as they tried to rebuild their lives.

They made their way through the devastated town and to the Baronial tent, where Baron Rhys offered them some small refreshments.  There wasn’t a lot; they’d managed to find some undamaged warehouses, but it still wasn’t enough to spread around to the number of people still remaining in the area, and so they were relying on the friendship of others to get by.

“We’ve brought mostly medical supplies,” Sir Fitz said, accepting a cup of wine.   “There are also clothes and more tents.”

“The medics will be glad to hear that,” Jack spoke up.  “My team’s battle surgeon, Dr. Harper, told me last night that they were running out of basic medicines.”

“Thought as much,” the Knight answered.  “We also have a load of grain and some other essentials.”

“We’re getting by with some hunting,” Baron Rhys said.  “We’ve also gotten some supplies from Haven, and from places like Larchfell and Gateway.  We’re not hurting yet.”

“If this had to happen,” Commodore Sullivan said, waving away his own cup, “then this is the best time of year for it.  The weather is still good enough that we don’t have to worry about the heat or the cold, and the sea storms aren’t kicking up yet.”  He took a seat in one of the mismatched chairs in the tent. “I’d normally offer my medical knowledge to help your doctors, but the _Valiant_ won’t be in port for long.”

“You’re going to try to find this Lost Kingdom.”  It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, Captain Harkness,” the Commodore answered anyway.  “Their Majesties have asked that the _Valiant_ head out to locate this so-called kingdom, and to make sure this wasn’t some sort of prelude to an attack.”

Ianto and Jack and the team had discussed this very thing not that long ago.  Ianto and Charles had been in the minority in completely disregarding the notion, simply because neither of them could see what Genosha would have to gain by reappearing and destroying a good portion of the coastlines around the ocean rim.  Of course, Jack had argued that it was simply smart tactics to throw your enemies into disarray, which was true.  But Ianto still couldn’t see it. 

Perhaps he was being a bit naïve, but he believed that the wave had been an accidental consequence of the Lost Kingdom coming back into the world.  At least, that’s what he hoped.

“I’ve been Requested and Required…oh, forget that mess,” Sir Fitz waved his hand as if to dismiss the words.  “Their Majesties think it’s a good idea that you and your team come with us, Captain Harkness.”

Jack smirked.  “I thought they might.  It only makes sense to have magical people go and visit a magical kingdom.”

Sir Fitz gave him an answering smirk.  “Exactly.  I’ll leave it up to you which of your team goes with you and Master Ianto.”

“I’ve already discussed it with my Second, and it’s going to be myself, Ianto, Lady Toshiko Sato, and Lieutenant Tommy Brockless.  The others will be staying and continuing to help with the rebuilding.”

“I understand the Elven lady,” the Knight said, “but why not someone like Mistress Suzie or even Lord Charles, although he’s not a member of your team?”

“You actually have that backward.  Suzie isn’t a member of my team any longer, and in fact has gone back to Gateway to coordinate there.  Charles has accepted a place on the team.  After his performance here at Cardiff, I had to have him as one of mine, and Ianto trusts him.  Better yet, Myfanwy trusts him.” 

“Myfanwy?” Sir Fitz asked.  “You mean the dragon?”

Ianto nodded.  “My dragon is an excellent judge of character, and she quite likes Charles. Speaking of Myfanwy, I’d better check on her.”  He let his senses expand in order to locate his wayward dragon, and found her instantly in the tent where those children who hadn’t yet been claimed and most likely would not be at this point – and the happiness that flooded his mind made him smile.  “I should have known she’d be with the children.”

“We’ve had ten children that no one has stepped forward to take,” Jack said sombrely.  “One of those is a little girl who manifested magic due to the stress of the disaster.  Baron Daffyd has decided to adopt her as a ward of Gateway, so she can get the education she needs.  I also think Charles has taken quite a shine to her.”

“She gained her dragon just last week,” Ianto added.  He remembered when the girl, Jean, had awoken one morning to find herself sharing a bed with a red dragon that was almost as large as she was.  She hadn’t even screamed, and it had been Rhiannon who’d called him to find out if the dragon had been meant for the child or not.  Jean had cheerfully named the dragon Phoenix and had refused to let him out of her sight.

“We’re hoping the other children will find homes,” Baron Rhys said.  “Although, Master Ianto, I understand your sister still has her eye on a couple of them herself.”

Ianto rolled his eyes.  “Rhiannon has always wanted a large family.  If anyone deserves a reward around here, it’s my sister.  She’s been the one to look after the parentless children, and has offered to accept some of the kids who don’t have any family willing to take them on.  My brother-in-law, Johnny, rescued an entire school.  I may have fancy powers, but my family doesn’t.  They’re the real heroes of this whole mess, not me.”  He was adamant about that.  It wasn’t the Wizards that needed to be recognized here; it was the ordinary people who didn’t have magic to fall back on. 

“I’ll make that recommendation to Their Majesties,” Sir Fitz said, sounding quite serious.  “But Captain Harkness, I’m still not certain why you’re taking Lieutenant Brockless instead of, at the very least, Lord Charles.”

“For one thing, Charles is needed here,” Jack replied.  “It’s his mind magic that has really helped us find survivors.  While we’ve pretty much given up hope of finding anyone else living, him being here might turn the tide for someone who’s trapped.”  Then he grinned.  “Besides, you’re not going to separate Toshiko and Tommy.  They’re as close to being married as a couple can get without going up in front of a priest.  Where one goes, the other follows.”

“Got it.”  Sir Fitz actually winked.  “I’ll trust you to arrange your team in whatever way you see fit, Captain.”

“Thank you, Sir.”  Jack returned the wink.  Then he sobered.  “When are we leaving?”

“As soon as the _Valiant_ is unloaded,” Captain Oduya spoke up.  Ianto had almost forgotten that he was there.  “The _Liberator_ will be arriving in a couple of days, and will be left to patrol the bay area.”

“Have there been any news of raiders?” Jack asked.

Oduya shook his head.  “Not on our coast, no.  But we’ve received word that black ships have been sighted off the coast of Mescaline, just north of Esplanade.  Mescaline was somewhat protected from the wave by the Esplanade headland, so there wasn’t as much damage there.  Esplanade, though…from the reports we’ve gotten their coast was hit very hard, as was Albion.  King Uther has petitioned for help with patrolling the waters between his country and the United Kingdom, and Their Majesties have agreed in principle to it, if just to foster good relations.”  Ianto knew what the Captain wasn’t saying that that King Uther and King Rory had gotten into disagreements about magic, and that the King was hoping to prove the usefulness of Wizards to his fellow ruler.

“It’ll depend on how stretched thin our own forces are,” Commodore Sullivan added.  “So far, we have ships on all the decimated areas along our coast, bringing supplies and making certain some opportunistic raider doesn’t decide we’re easy pickings.”  He suddenly looked fierce.  “I’m a peaceful man at heart, but a part of me hopes they do try something.  I wouldn’t mind thinning out the raider herd, as it were.”

“I think we all feel that way,” Sir Fitz told the Commodore.  He turned back to Jack.  “Will you and your team be ready to leave first thing?”

Jack nodded.  “We’ll be ready.”

Ianto nodded as well.  A part of him didn’t want to leave their work in Cardiff undone, but at the same time he was ready for some sort of action.  And to say he wanted to see this so-called Kingdom of Magic was a distinct understatement indeed.

 

 

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a new chapter, so this has not been beta'd. Any mistakes here are my own. I was going to send this off to beta but then decided I wanted to post it right away (you've all waited long enough for me on this). Hope you enjoy!

 

John Hart was heading down toward the docks when he found out that the _Valiant_ was at anchor in the bay.

He’d been expecting the King and Queen to send a ship, but the _Valiant_ was the flagship of the Kingdom’s fleet, and John would have thought that particular vessel would have been kept on patrol along the devastated southern coast, and not floating just offshore.  In his opinion, it was a waste of resources…

Unless it was there for some other reason to deploy that particular ship to Cardiff Town.

If there was one thing he knew, was that dockworkers were inveterate gossips.  They heard the best news from the ships that docked harbourside, and were often the first with stories from sailors that came onshore to spend their hard-earned money at the taverns and gambling houses that always sprung up in the docks area of any town.

He would have just gone to any of those establishments to get the juicy gossip, but the Cardiff docks had been destroyed in the wave.  It was taking longer to clear the bay and rebuild the area than it was in town, and so nothing was open as of yet.  And, judging from the bit he managed to overhear no one on the _Valiant_ had gotten off the ship, except for a Commodore – which had to be Harry Sullivan, since he was the only Commodore that John knew of – the Captain of the ship, and a man that, from descriptions, could only be a Royal Knight. 

He was also able to gather that Jack, Ianto, and the Baron of Cardiff had been the ones to meet their guests. 

John cursed.  Of course Jack had known and hadn’t told him.  Ever since they’d arrived in Cardiff it had been like pulling teeth to get his former partner to say anything to him except when he absolutely had to.  John could understand.  He hadn’t exactly been trustworthy in the past, but he’d hoped that Jack would have at least seen the work he’d been doing and had forgiven him in part for what he’d done.

Eye Candy hadn’t been any better, but then John _had_ kidnapped him.  But he’d have thought that what Ianto had done to him had been enough punishment.  After all, being sent to the frozen Southern Wastes had been a nightmare, and John had lost two toes learning the lesson that you don’t mess around with a Wizard.

At least Eye Candy was keeping his blasted winged lizard from eating him at the slightest opportunity.

He thought it also might have to do with his killing Jack before he’d actually known his ex-partner was the Deathless.  Now, finding out about that had been a shock.  John was familiar with the stories of the Deathless; he’d heard them before from various sources, but had always thought them more a sad tale about sacrifice and lost love.  Never in his wildest imaginings had John ever thought they could be true…or at least partially true.  He’d tried to get Jack to talk about it after coming to Cardiff, but he flatly refused to.  John didn’t blame him, it was probably painful to recall.  Although he was quite sure that Eye Candy knew all the gruesome details.

That fact didn’t make him as angry as it probably should.

No, what did make him angry was not being at least kept in the loop on what was going on.

A small part of him was saying that he didn’t deserve it, but John didn’t listen.  He’d done his damnedest to work hard and to attempt to make amends.  Sure, he’d done a lot of shitty things but Jack had to have seen how determined he was to turn over a new leaf?  What would it take to get Jack back on his side?

John left the dockyards, heading into the town.  They’d managed to do quite a bit to clean up, and to be honest he’d chafed under all the hard work.  He just wasn’t meant for manual labour.  John was an idea-man, and a fighter.  Not a menial, following orders of some jumped-up knight who didn’t have half the experience John himself had.  And yet he’d put up with it, hoping that the others would see his attempts at good work and be convinced that he’d been reformed by his forced jaunt to the colder-than-any of the hells South.  He wanted to get back into Jack’s good graces, and if that meant getting his hands dirty, well then he’d do it.

The problem was that Jack didn’t seem to be buying it.  Neither did Eye Candy.  In fact, they’d actually offered that new guy a place on the team, and hadn’t done the same to John.  Not that John wanted to join Jack’s happy little band…okay, yeah, he really did.  He wasn’t sure why.  But he did, and they’d gone and asked a total stranger if he wanted the spot that should have gone to John.

That selfsame tiny voice was whispering that them knowing John was the very reason he _wasn’t_ asked to join up.

He ignored it as well.

John knew it was time to have it out with his ex-partner.  He wanted Jack to know exactly where he stood, and how mad he was that he was being cut out of the plans that were obviously going on around him.  If it was one thing John hated, was not knowing everything.

It really had been that particular personality trait that had gotten him into trouble with Jack and Eye Candy in the first place.  If he hadn’t asked Adam Smith to just pop into Ianto’s thoughts and try to find out about the mission Jack and his people had been on at the time, none of this would have happened.  Yeah, he should have left well enough alone.

Only that wasn’t in his nature, and it only took two heartbeats to dismiss the notion out of hand.

It was simple enough to find Jack.   All he had to do was ask one of Cardiff’s knights that were patrolling the area, on the lookout for raiders.  Yeah, that was what John should have been: a Knight for one of the Baronies, or maybe even in London.  That was more of his dream job: great pay, an armour and weapons allowance, room and board if wanted…yes, John should have been a Knight.

Jack was where he should have expected, in the tent that had been set up for the Baron.  The castle has been cleared for people once more, but during the day Baron Rhys would be out working in the town, or in this tent near the centre of the action.  To be close to his people, John knew, and he had to respect the man for that.  He’d seen other rulers ignore issues with their populace, but Baron Rhys didn’t seem to be like that. 

No wonder John hadn’t spent all that much time in Cardiff: all the free-floating altruism could be a bit sickening.

Of course, the guards at the tent flap wouldn’t let John in.  Typical.  He could be screaming down the place and he doubted these lumps would move.  It wouldn’t have surprised John one bit if Jack had soured things for him with the local law enforcement, either. 

It wasn’t like Jack hadn’t been just like John at the time.  The only difference being was that Jack had cleaned up his act.  And now, when John wanted to do the same – well, maybe not exactly the same, because the mercenary knew he never could achieve the level of perfect that Jack seemed to have gained – he was being blocked by the one man who should have understood.

Maybe it was Jack’s way of getting back at John for betraying him all those years ago.  That might not have been the best plan, but that diamond…it had been impossible to ignore.  And it didn’t matter how many times Jack denied it John knew damned well that he would have done the same thing to get that gemstone if given half the chance.  John had just done it first.

The tent flap was pushed back, and out came two men in what was undeniably Naval uniform.  So, these were obviously the officers from the _Valiant._  John touched his forehead in a salute to the pair, and the older one nodded back in return.  The younger man, who must have been the captain, ignored John’s presence in order to talk to a third man who emerged just behind them.  This one wore the ornate armour of the Royal Knights, and he was almost drool-worthy with dark hair and eyes.  He also seemed friendly, and he also nodded toward John, his eyes flicking down the mercenary’s body.  The glance made John shiver, and it wasn’t because he was embarrassed; no, the Knight was appraising him, judging him in order to assess if he was either friend or foe, and something in his gaze told John that he’d come out wanting in some way.

Bugger that.  John didn’t care what others thought.  It was Jack he had to deal with.

And speaking of his ex-partner, he was the next one out of the tent, accompanied by Eye Candy as usual.  He wondered if the two ever got tired of being practically attached at the hip.

The smile that Jack had been wearing disappeared the moment he noticed John waiting.   He murmured something in Ianto’s ear, and the Wizard nodded, giving John a single glare before going off to do what Jack had asked.  “What can I do for you?” Jack asked neutrally, crossing his arms over his chest, his forearms bare under this rolled-up shirt sleeves.

Jack did have sexy forearms.

John shook himself.  “I wanna know why I’m just now finding out about the _Valiant_ and the plan to go and find the cause for the wave.”

Jack shrugged.  “Because it doesn’t concern you.”

“I wanna go along for the ride.”

“Absolutely not.”  Jack strode past the pair of guards and out among the tents of the refugee camp, dodging tie lines and tent spikes with ridiculous grace.

John was annoyed at being dismissed, although he’d expected it.  “I’ve done everything I could to help out here.  Why won’t you let me in?”

“I would’ve thought that was obvious,” Jack retorted from over his shoulder, “I don’t trust you.”

John reached out and grabbed Jack’s arm, bringing him to a halt and spinning him around.  “I haven’t done anything since I’ve gotten here to make you not trust me, Jack.”

“No, you haven’t,” his ex-partner answered.  “But two weeks isn’t enough to erase everything you’ve done, Hart.  I’m not even talking about you betraying me, and then killing me later when you had no idea I’d come back to life.  I’m talking about what you did to Ianto.  For that, I doubt I’ll ever forgive you.”

“So that means you can’t give me a chance to prove myself?  C’mon Jack...you and I aren’t all that different.”

There’d been a look in Jack’s eye, one that John read as being close to giving in.  And then it was gone as suddenly as it had appeared.  “You almost had me there, but you had to go and make me change my mind.  See, someone once gave me a second chance, so I was almost willing to do it.  But you’re wrong, Hart…I’m nothing like you.  You might believe that everyone is out to get everything they can, but that’s not me.  I’ve learned over a thousand years of existence that objects and wealth aren’t that important.  It’s the people around you, the ones you can trust and love like a family, those are the ones who really count even when you’re immortal as I am.  That’s something you’ll never understand.”

He leaned forward.  “If I thought you could prove yourself I’d give you every chance.  But John, it’s not that you _want_ to be on the team…it’s that you _expect_ to be on it.  You seem to have some bizarre sense of entitlement that says if you try hard enough I’ll hire you because I’ll _have_ to.   That’s just it, though…I don’t _have_ to do anything.   This is my team, and I hire who I want.”

“Like that poncy Wizard?” John snapped.  “You hired him and you don’t even know him.”

Jack looked at his appraisingly.  “I hired Charles because he’s a good fit on the team.  He gets along with everyone, he’s intelligent, willing to listen and take orders, and despite the fact that I’ve only known him for a couple of weeks I feel as if I can already trust him.  He’s worked hard here in Cardiff, doing more than anyone else besides Ianto.  And – this is the most important thing – he’s not here because of some ulterior motive.  He genuinely wants to help.  To be honest, I also hired him because of his magic, but that only makes sense in a world where Wizards are coming back into power.  But he also knows that, and accepts it.  It doesn’t make him any less a friend.”

Jack took a step forward, and spoke again before John could reply.  “You don’t have a place on this team, John.  You don’t offer me anything I don’t already have.  I don’t need someone good with a sword; for that, I have Martha, Tommy, and River.  You’re not really all that good at tracking, but then that’s why I hired Toshiko.  You have no medical skills, so you can’t help out Owen.  And lastly, you’re not a Wizard, which is what Ianto and Charles are there for.  So, even if I did trust you I just don’t have a place for you.”

John ground his teeth, in a somewhat vain attempt to keep from going off on his ex-partner.  “I’m better than anyone you have on that team of yours, and you know it!”

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose.  “No John, I don’t.  Yes, you’re good with weapons but that’s about it.  And I wouldn’t bet against Martha in a fight, fair or not.”  He shook his head.  “John, I’m not going to hire you.  Get used to it.”

John wasn’t even aware that he’d punched Jack until the man was on the ground, swiping at a bit of blood on his mouth.  “I tried, Jack.  I tried to prove to you that I could work with you.  I didn’t have to come here and give you that damned card, but I did.  You’re gonna regret not hiring me when you had the chance.”

With those parting words, he spun on his heel and stormed off toward the campsite where his meagre belongings were.  John was absolutely livid, but he should have expected it.  But he’d done everything he could think of to show that Jack needed him, and the man just wasn’t getting it.  Well, he was done hanging around here, waiting for something that wasn’t going to happen.  He’d wasted enough time, and there was a wide world out there just waiting for him.

As he moved around the nearest tents and up to their camp, John saw his horse standing there, already saddled.

He came to a halt, and would have thrown a fit if it weren’t for the girl who was standing beside the horse, holding the reins.

John’s eyes narrowed as he approached her.  “I could’ve been exploring the Western Lands, enjoying myself, if it weren’t for you!”

The blonde girl smiled, and there was something off about the expression.  “You were always meant to be here, but your path is different from those you seek to follow.”

 John frowned.  “You sent me here to get rejected?” he asked incredulously.

“The Deathless was never going to see beyond his past with you,” the girl answered.  “And yet he still had to have the chance.”

“What are you?” John blurted out, feeling sincerely creeped out by the girl.  There was something absolutely otherworldly about her, and he didn’t know how to handle it.

The girl’s eyes glittered as she laughed.  “The world is made of balances; any Wizard will tell you that.  If magic must balance, then so must other things…including the Deathless.” 

John shivered.  “And that would be you, then?”

She didn’t answer.  Instead, she placed the reins into his unresponsive hands.  “We are needed elsewhere.”

“Where?” John wished he’d never left New Andrade; that he’d told this weird kid to shove off when she’d appeared at his table in that pub, and had shown him her cards.  He should never have gotten involved with the mysteries that were in her pale eyes. 

“To the Queen,” she answered.

He was confused.  “We’ll never get within a mile of the Royal Castle.”

“Not that Queen,” she smirked.

John lifted her up onto the horse, and then got up behind her on the saddle.  “So which bloody Queen are we talking about?”

The girl turned in her seat to look at him, and John wanted to get away from the ancient knowledge in her gaze.  “We go to find the Queen of Air and Fire.”

 

 

 


End file.
